The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices
by MistyWing
Summary: Tuition is set at a ridiculous price so she’s left to scrape “dirty money” to pay. Life and expectations has chased him to the brink of destruction. Story of SS caught up in exotic dancing, thievery, and lies. Now M for too much coarse language.
1. Maker of the Foxy Trot

_Disclaimer_: I own everything!!! Scratch that. I own none of the characters in CCS or the original CCS plot. NOW, I own everything!!!!

_Author Note_: "Unheard Voices" is the first part of _The Crash Course on Life_ two book series. It was going to be three books, but I didn't like the way the third one was going. I was finding it very hard to connect it to a real life situation. Unless, I have any qualms with dropping that part of the project, I won't be picking it up again. "Unheard Voices" is a story based on Sakura and Syaoran's lives after Card Captor Sakura. Not everyone, not even the card mistress or the young, well-known sorcerer is as privileged as we think. Just like normal people they are faced with obstacles and the anomalies of life. It only takes an instant for everything to fall apart. Syaoran and Sakura's stories are based on the facts of life and reality. In the end, they find the strength in each other to pull through.

The second book, which is still unwritten, but I hope I will someday start, is titled "Strife." The full summary is with that story, but I can give you the gist of it here. The main character is Tomoyo and she does the unthinkable when she defies her mother's wishes. You might find that Tomoyo's story links to Sakura and Syaoran's story.

_Summary_: Tuition for school is set at a ridiculous price, so she's left to reap the kind of "dirty money" to pay for it. Life and expectations has chased him to the brink of destruction and disaster. This is REALITY, people. Be prepared for a journey of a lifetime. It's time we watch Syaoran and Sakura bypass obstacles and do what's right.

_Warning_: Chapter 1 contains sexual content, but no lemon because I don't and I can't write that stuff. Some crude terms may be used as well through out the fic. The beginning might feel and seem disturbing, so just think of it as a storm. The rest of the story up till the end is the calm after the storm. Everything will make sense, I hope. I'm telling the story, so you might hear the pronouns "I," "you," and "we" a lot more than you would like to."

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 1: Maker of the Foxy Trot**

The mixed smell of smoke and perfume filled his nostrils the moment he entered the club. Colorful, dizzying lights flashed before his vision. Yet, everything seemed so dim with the blend of the heavy beating techno music and the waves of men sitting at their crowded tables. All of them had girls in their laps and their faces molded into the girls' faces. The place was one of the most obscene places he'd ever been at. And this was just his opinion. He's actually seen a lot more of what you and I might find truly OBSCENE.

A girl in a skimpy, frilly, thigh-length frock and an expert at balancing two trays of drinks between her hands, hurried pass him. As she came by, he snatched the first wine glass of concoction he eyed in which she sloshed around in her tray.

"Excuse me! That isn't yours," she said, spinning around to frown at him.

"Sweetheart, everything is mine," he growled before greedily gulping down the drink right before her eyes. He even had the nerve to watch her black eyes grow wide in disapproval, as his lazy eyes washed over her pinched up face.

She glared at him a minute longer before she hurried away to complain to the manager obviously.

It was loud, bright, and crowded. Why did they bring him here?

"Happy Birthday, Syaoran! It's a new club and it was the boss's idea that I come show you a good time. What do you think?"

Syaoran grunted. "If you call watching a bunch of middle aged married men cheating on their wives a birthday bash, it's one hell of a party."

Ely, the plump, tanned man accompanying Syaoran, was sorry he asked. The guy was being sarcastic again. It meant Syaoran was not up for some so called "fun." It was their boss', Drake's idea anyway. He thought it would be cool to have Syaoran lighten up for once. Maybe, seeing a bunch of naked girls could loosen up the lone wolf and get him screwed. Was this Drake's idea of a joke? Everyone knew what sort of man Syaoran was!

Drake also had Julian tag along, but Julian was a short and quiet individual. He too kept to himself, but he was more open when it came to his sexuality. Julian ogled women, whereas Syaoran ogled at their organization's sport. Julian had a different girlfriend every week and Syaoran never had one. If Drake had a favorite, Julian was second. If Drake had a favorite, you can all guess who it was. Syaoran was one of the most intriguing individuals and the best pick of the litter. A nice Chinese boy chewed and spat out by some American Ivy League college, who hung out on the streets and waited for trouble was what Syaoran was the day Drake sought him out. Syaoran was the best when it came down to executing their heists, which were elaborately planned out by the mastermind, Drake. Syaoran was the backup to the team.

"Mmmmm… hot blonde chick to our left," Julian said. Then, Syaoran watched the blonde sex fiend disappear into the mob.

Ely dragged his fingers through his black hair as he groaned.

"Syaoran, Drake must have been high or something when he suggested this."

"No, let's stay and appease him."

"He's not even here! He doesn't have to know we ditched."

"We're leaving _with_ Julian," Syaoran said with an air of finality.

Syaoran and Ely took a table and eased right into their seats. Syaoran made the mistake of glancing at the table next to theirs, catching a glimpse of a man and a worker wrestling each other on the table. They groped each other in places I can't say and you can't imagine.

"Whore…" Syaoran grumbled.

"Entertainers," Ely corrected smartly.

"House of Sluts."

"Chic Galleria, Dude."

Syaoran's eyes narrowed at his American friend. "I can read, Dolt." He had seen the neon sign blinking outside the establishment before they entered. It was brand new and arrested in its glass frame.

The two men sitting alone was a weird sight in the club. A lanky, tall brunette took the initiative to entertain them. Hopping onto their table, she pushed her busty body forward, spilling her full breasts out of her red tube dress in display for yours truly.

"Hey Cutie," she chirped, resting her jaw on Syaoran's shoulder. Ely was not sure if she was talking to him or to Syaoran, but he was hoping she was talking to him. Really. He was just worried for her. That's all. He was only there to watch the beautiful girls with no intentions of being physically aroused and intimate with any of them. He twitched uncomfortably, watching a menacingly frown wash over Syaoran's dark face. The change was a sign of danger.

"Not interested, "Syaoran said, leaning slightly away from her. She giggled against his cheek and gave an erecting lick to his cold skin.

That was the last straw. He threw her off of him. She shrieked as she sprawled to the floor. He glowered down at her. "Touch me gain, Trash, and I'll cut your tongue out and feed it to the wolves."

Tears streaming down her face, she stood shakily on her red heals. She bit her lip and ran, obviously to complain to the management.

"Damn, Syaoran," whispered his round, dark friend.

"She was asking for it."

"Syaoran, you make this classy place look like a dump." Ely's laughing blue eyes settle on Syaoran's glum face. "Don't look so surprised. The women here are really classy. We've got the dancers, who will come out soon. And we got the ones out here to play around with while we wait for the real stuff. I'm gonna love the sight of those dancers…"

Ely jumped out of his chair when Julian suddenly slammed into their table with a half naked blonde girl under him.

"Heart attack!" Ely screamed.

"Goddammit!" Syaoran joined, standing up to avoid being kicked by the girl's five-inch heals.

As Julian continued sucking on the girl's face, he made incoherent remarks to Syaoran and Ely.

"He's trying to tell us something," Ely said. He looked entranced by the novel way those two were at it, like two hungry beasts fighting for food. Sex wasn't food! And this wasn't novel.

"I'll try to listen when he gets his tongue out of her mouth," Syaoran muttered, furious at the display his quiet pal was demonstrating.

Julian started talking again even as the girl continued nipping at his lower lip. Syaoran thought they looked idiotic. "You two homos should get a life."

That did it. Syaoran was ready to throw a punch. Who cares if it was for a buddy? However, Ely beat him to it. Ely, being the most temperate and affable of the trio, grabbed the blonde man by the ear and smacked him upside the head. If the girl had not started biting his shoulder and neck, Julian might have done something about it. For example, punch back. Eh, he took his anger out on the girl instead. Pushed her back and bruised her lips with hot kisses. Ripping and tearing at the loose, hanging lace of her bra.

Syaoran shrunk, shoulders slumping visibly. He dragged his chair to a dark, less colorful corner and plopped himself down. Five minutes later, Ely was standing next to him with a drink.

"I can't even bypass the workers here to get to the bar," he laughed and joked.

Syaoran was silent as he took the drink Ely offered him. The drink made his vision hazy and light. It was great and almost fulfilling.

"Like I said earlier, Syaoran; Happy Birthday."

The lights suddenly dimmed and the rhythm of the music changed. It started beating to the heartbeat of Syaoran's heart and circling around his soul. The Doppler Effect: Water trickling down pale fingers and landing in ripples on the wet floor. The science and beauty of music humming in his ears. Pulse for beat, beat for pulse.

Syaoran took another drink, Ely's drink. They both look up at the stage.

Somewhere under the water of music someone announced, "Gentlemen, The maker of the Foxy Trot."

"It's her style. She's really hot stuff," Ely said, which really made Syaoran wonder how many times Ely and the rest of the gang had actually come around this place.

"She's so hot they put her anywhere in the line-up. You can see her first, last, or in the middle somewhere. It's as if she doesn't belong anywhere."

"You come here only to see her?"

"Yes and no. She's my favorite Asian. But I also love watching Daisy."

Monotone voice, drowning in the water of music, buries itself into their conversation, "Miss Sakuuuuuuuuuuuuraaa."

Syaoran's amber eyes widen as the curtains opened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Panting, she dashed up the hall, five minutes before office hours were over with her English professor. She really needed to see her about getting an extension on her report. No way was she going to finish it by the end of next week when she had a shit load of lab reports to write up and a very demanding job to keep up with.

"Sakura, I've been giving you extra time on every assignment. You have an obligation to keep up in school, so you can't ask for an extension every time you're in a jam," Professor Damarie lectured, looking over the frames of her spectacles at the young woman with hard cobalt eyes. Professor Damarie studied Sakura, her eyes darting up and down the young, pale face. "Being a freshman is no excuse. You have to straighten out your priorities. Divide your time between school and life," she said.

If only life were that easy for Sakura Kinomoto. She had to work right after school almost every night. She only had time to cram a couple of hours for studying and, then, it was a four-hour sleep time for her. Her boss, Pablo, was going to run her over with his 1980 sports car if she was ever late again or called in sick again. She needed the money to pay for this class and every other class she was taking. If only a day was thirty six hours long and humans didn't need sleep.

Sakura's head drooped and she could feel the stress pressing her down. "However, Sakura, I will pity you one last time."

The girl's head shot up, as a wide grin spread across her weary face. "Oh, thank you Dr. Damarie!"

"One more week, Sakura and that's it for the semester. No more cutting slacks for you."

"Right, I'll try to keep up."

She bowed and high-tailed out of the office, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Yes! I did it!" She cheered in Japanese as she threw her fists in the air and jumped up and down a couple of times. A guy walking by noticed her and thought she was losing her mind. She would have if she didn't get the extension on the paper she truly needed.

Sakura turned beat red as she pressed her hand over her mouth. He laughed at her and walked onward to attend his next class. Sakura watched him go as she continued idling in the hallway. A smile spread across her face.

"Sakura!" The sound of her friend screaming her name was like having a bucket of ice-cold water dumped over her head. "Don't you have work?" Chelsea was coming up to her, now. "Like tonight, July 13th, 6:00PM, right now."

"HOEEEEE! Yeah, I'll call you later cuz' I got a six-hour shift to cover. Thanks!"

She was off again, running to the bus station on her strong legs. Brown University became a distant memory of that day as she ran to work in her sneakers.

Daisy, a twenty-five year-old single parent shuffled her feet as she clutched the evening dress she was going to wear tonight. She kept looking at the clock, just pleading for it to stop ticking. There was a loud clunk, the sound of the back door opening and closing. All the girls in the dressing and rehearsal room of the Chic Galleria turned to watch the arrival of Sakura, dropping whatever they were doing just to stare at her.

"Sakura!" Daisy embraced Sakura, the worry lines on her face disappearing instantly. Daisy pulled out the screen for Sakura to privately strip naked. Only Sakura got the special treatment from the boss. Only she could change in privacy because if the boss had a favorite, Sakura was his.

"What am I today?" Sakura asked using a voice high with happiness.

"A marine, Darling." Daisy answered. "Why are you so happy? Pablo is going to whip you with his words after the show."

Sakura snapped the navy blue bra on and the navy blue thong that came with the outfit with agile fingers. "No kidding."

"He's making you go first because you're late."

"I thought making me go last was the cruel and unusual punishment."

"Oh, please be ready in a half an hour," Daisy begged.

"Saku! Late again, Chica? Saku!" It was Pablo, their manager, who was usually at the bar, but as always he would poke his head into the dressing room and start barking orders at them just an hour or two before the girls went out. He was Hispanic and his wife used to be a stripper.

"Right here, Pablo!" Sakura shouted, stepping out from behind the screen and still in her revealing undergarments.

"Chica, get your clothes on! You're honey butt is out there in an hour!"

"Yes, Sir," She saluted him as he slammed the door.

The moment he disappeared, Sakura let out a breath of air. "Yes, I did it!"

"Stop speaking in Japanese, Sakura," Daisy sighed. She helped her younger friend into her jacket, smartly running her hand down Sakura's front and snapping the Velcro perfectly together.

"Oh, yeah, Chica. Ten percent deduction on your salary tonight! Comprende?" Where did he come from? No one even heard him come in.

"Pablo," Daisy gushed, lacing her arm under his arm and kissing his cheek. "Take it out of my pay instead, will ya? The girl's got enough on her plate as it is."

Pablo glared at Sakura and pointed accusingly at her. "Only because I like you!" This time he really left.

Sakura stood next to the screen, on the verge of tears as she stared at her friend with her loving green eyes.

"Darling, don't cry! You're eyes will be all puffy before the show!"

Sakura threw her arms around Daisy. Daisy pulled Sakura back after squeezing her for a second in her secured arms.

"What about Nicky?" Sakura asked.

"I have enough right now to last me months, Darling. You have school to worry about. Please start saving and start making it on time! I don't think I can keep bailing you out like this!"

"You're awesome, Daisy."

Somebody bumped into Sakura as she passed the two of them chatting.

"Ie…" Sakura moaned when she looked up and saw Rose standing right next to her.

"Hey Bitch, keep moving!" The girl with the blonde curls was sporting a school girl's uniform. "You're drooping ass is in my way!" Rose brushed past her again.

"Don't listen to her, Sakura. You're butt is lovely," Daisy assured her. She stifled her laughter at the sight of Sakura trying to look at her own little butt by turning her head around. She looked like a cute kitten, chasing her tail around in circles.

It was sad working at this place. All the girls hated her, especially Rose. They could stab her in the back anytime and anywhere possible. It was because the boss coddled her like one would with a favorite child. If she said she would not expose herself entirely, he said okay, girl, whatever you say. If another girl actually refused, though, he would have her out in the gutters before you or I can say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." In other words, Sakura was his jewel. Without her his business would drop like an atom bomb, knocking out his prestigious establishment right off its foundations.

That's right, Sakura had never taken her top off and still earned almost as much as the other girls, who threw their bras out into the hordes of howling, cat-calling men. They had to dance the night away in infinite exposure, while she, the cute and yummy little tootsie roll, had her underwear to still keep her warm. The college girl was a big hit.

Daisy thought, it was a shame that the girl had to hide her natural beauty under all the eye-liner and lipstick. Sakura was like her little sister. Since the first day she had met her, which was in August, she felt an obligation toward the girl. It wasn't long after their first meeting, that Daisy finally knew that the obligation for the enthusiastic girl stemmed from what she saw in Sakura. Daisy was once like Sakura. She wanted to finish college, but she was kicked out because she was pregnant with Nicky. Her boyfriend ditched her and wanted nothing to do with their daughter, so she had to climb over the wall by herself. She had to do it for her daughter. She had to throw away her dignity for a better life. Here in America, the country rolls on money. Without it, you don't know where you'd be.

Sakura smiled at Daisy as she pulled on her pants. Daisy taught her everything she knew about dancing. It wasn't fun at all, but it was an art. It was an art that Sakura was glad she learned and practiced.

"What are you thinking, Daisy?"

Daisy kissed her forehead. "Keep up with school, k?"

"Yeah."

A woman's got to do what a woman's got to do.

"Back stage, Sakura in five!" It was Pablo ordering her out again.

"Okay!" Sakura got up and smoothed her golden, auburn hair back with her hands. She slipped into her black heals and moved forward. Pablo's eyes were glued to the eighteen-year-old's body, mesmerized by the way she already started to move. When, Sakura disappeared from their view, Pablo glanced back up at Daisy. "You are number seven tonight."

"Alrighty!" She said cheerfully.

Sakura stood just behind the curtains, staring at the orange glow from the crevice between the curtains. She remembered her first time out here and it was nerve-racking. Now, it was like second nature, to throw herself out there and strip for them. They sometimes grabbed her by the ankle, but she would shake off their grip easily as her body moved like liquid between anybody's hands. Pablo had taught her never to be rough towards customers and she never actually had to be. "Roughness scare those drunk men away. You gotta be a flower to them, Chica. The way you are to me."

Sakura snorted as the curtains rose. No one really heard her over the pounding music ahead of her. Her feet tapped in accordance to the snare drums in the music and it began.

The curtains were pulled back all the way and men could see the silhouette of a girl as the back lights blared behind her. All her curves were accented by the mercury lights and the men started howling.

"This isn't a play or anything. Why the curtains?" Syaoran questioned as he leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands.

"Told you this place was classy."

Sakura was a popular name among Japanese girls. Parents loved naming their kids after flowers. However, hearing the name just struck an out-of-tune chord in his heart. The memories of his first love, buried so deep within his drugged mind, surfaced again.

"Get me another drink," he said as he raked his hand through his chestnut hair.

"Sure thing."

The figure on the stage started swaying like a young flower waving in a breeze. The lights in the room started flashing again and now every man could see Sakura. Those lights evened out their visions. She beamed at them and started down the cat walk, swaying her hips in an easy, sexy lilt. Her little cap hung low over her eyes. Her grin widened as she heard men groaning for her to take off her clothes. She was great because she worked slow. If it were any other girl, though, men would start throwing their glasses and cigarette butts on stage.

Sakura threw her arms up and started weaving her body in the air. It was getting hot and she could feel intense eyes waiting for her to peal.

How wrong, how ghastly, how unreal this was. No, Syaoran, we tell him, it's very real.

Syaoran stood and pushed a man aside.

"Hey!"

"Hey, yourself."

One foot out and the other foot in. Then, she tore off her pants with an easy flash and threw it out to the crowd. She tipped her cap lower, not bearing to look out into the lighted men's faces. Sakura made her way back to the side pole, toes whispering against the floor, body swinging with a life of its own to the rhythm. She came in contact with the pole and started rubbing herself against is. Her hand turned to her crotch and she started massaging it as she kept bucking her lower body out to the crowd. She was never used to this though, for she still turned red under the colorful lights. Not even close to half way through her performance, she was always already sweating profusely, her mind fussing over her so furiously. The pace of the music always seemed to quicken at this rate, 2-2 time, to 6-8. The men grew louder as they threw their money into the basket that dropped from the ceiling.

Syaoran was near the basket and found himself throwing a fifty in before turning to the other end of the stage, where the next pole was rooted, and he was sure Sakura was going to reach. He pushed by the men, earning him loud grunts and "Heys."

A man grabbed her by the ankle.

Rule number one: "Roughness makes my business retreat. No roughness at all."

Sakura reached out to the man who grabbed her and trailed her long finger down his bearded chin. She winked and tipped her head, so that the cap she wore landed perfectly in his hands. The man whooped and rushed to the basket, throwing in another thirty for the worthless cap. Sakura danced her way to the middle of the stage again, giving off her best moves. Hands resting on her hips and rising up to her breasts in an exotic and breathtaking motion.

Syaoran watched her from the side, a low groan in the back of his throat. It WAS her. All the familiar energy was radiating out of her.

She danced her way towards him, still not seeing him right under the pole.

Rule number two: "Touch yourself everywhere you know they can't touch. It arouses them. Never stop dancing while you're doing this."

Her hand on her right breast, tore away the top garment like it was nothing. She was now down to her underwear as she made her way to the next pole. Boy, was she glad the stage rising at eight feet high separated the men from her. Because the next rule, she never really had to apply before. If she actually had to use it, she wouldn't no what to do, being as inexperienced as she was.

Rule number three: "If ever some guy gets on stage, you retreat. Don't dance with him even if you like him. Just come back to me okay, Chica?"

She was almost next to the pole when suddenly a tall man leapt over the boundary and landed right in front of her pole. She stopped abruptly as amber clashed with emerald. Her mouth went dry as everything familiar to her came back in a rush. After about a minute of staring, she twirled around and pushed forward.

Sakura smiled at Syaoran. It was not a reminiscent smile or even a happy smile, just a dark, half smile. Her eyes would not meet his as she danced around him, throwing herself in and out of the circle she drew around him. Her body was languid, like liquid, flowing with the fine tune of music. His eyes trailed up and down her body, staring at every patch of perfect skin that she had on her naked form. She was quenching his thirst by letting him drink her in with his fiery eyes.

The sight of her, down to this, was killing him. He grabbed her by the waist by circling his arm around her. This forced her to look up at him, her green, terrified eyes reflected in his gaze. Her body shook as she slammed into him. The heat mingled around them, fogging up their senses. Syaoran… Sakura… Their hearts were calling out to each other.

Syaoran's brow furrowed as he glared down at her. Then, not really quite out of the blue, he forced his mouth onto hers. Her hands came up to his hard chest to push him away, but he tightened his hold on her, the other hand touching her bare buttocks, where her thong didn't do much sealing work. She opened her mouth to gasp in retort or something. He immediately plunged his tongue into her the moment he felt her lips part. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut in pain, her body slacking and not reacting at all to his hungry kiss. They tumbled back behind the curtains and he pushed her against the wall. He was suffocating her. He needed to let go!

His tongue continued to explore every realm of her wet mouth. Her breasts were pressed to his rib cage and he wasn't losing control. She was turning into jelly in his arms. She did not fight him at all. He pulled back and stared at her through pained, amber eyes. She opened her eyes and saw his pain and she felt hopeless. What could she do?

As he took off his leather jacket and threw it over her small shoulders, she could think of only one thing. Boldly, she pulled him down again and gently kissed his lips.

"Sakura!" Pablo screamed.

They broke away and stared at the manager of Chic Galleria.

"No men allowed back here!"

The girls behind Pablo started snickering, with the exception of Daisy, who seemed too stunned to move any closer to protect Sakura this time around.

"Lily get out there!" Pablo hollered as he grabbed the girl by the arm and roughly pushed her forward.

"Ie…" Sakura whispered, as she released Syaoran and he her.

"Twenty percent more!"

Finally Daisy spoke up. "That isn't fair at all Pablo! This has never happened to any of us. I wouldn't know what to do, either."

Pablo turned on Daisy, "Do you not remember rule number three? Must I deduct ten more percent of tonight's salary from you to remind you?"

Daisy backed off.

"You," he pointed at Syaoran. "You do not touch my stage girls. You can only touch my bar girls. Girls complain about you. You will not mistreat any of my girls. Comprende, Amigo?"

"I comprende," Syaoran snarled in mock tone.

Without thinking twice, Sakura grabbed his hand and dragged him out from under the eyes of her colleagues and boss. She opened a back door and roughly pushed Syaoran outside. She slammed the door just as he was turning around to speak to her.

Slowly Sakura sank to her knees and wept as she leaned against the door. Her fingers wrapped around his jacket and closed it around her tiny form. Her face turned and the collar of his jacket was soaked in her tears. He was truly the last person she would ever want to know about her secret life.

On the other side, Syaoran was leaning his forehead against the cold metal door. His mind kept repeating her name over and over again, a song in loop.

"Syaoran," Ely called.

Syaoran looked up the dark ally and saw Ely and Julian standing in the lights of the street lamps. They had both seen what Syaoran had done to the first stripper on stage. Both of them were shocked. Ely dropped the drinks in horror as he watched Syaoran do the unthinkable. Julian had even shoved his sex toy to the floor when he saw Syaoran up there.

Julian came up to him first . "Old chum, you got red lipstick on you."

Syaoran wiped his mouth with the back of his hand .

"Syaoran, that was unbelievable," Ely whispered as he too came up to Syaoran. "I think you got mixed up back there. Did you know your fist isn't your tongue and Sakura's mouth isn't a punching bag?"

Syaoran glowered at him.

Julian chuckled. "Now we know that Syaoran does prefer a tonsil fight over a fist fight."


	2. The Story that made her

Shockingly this is the quickest update I've ever accomplished. Mainly because there weren't many readers and their were fewer than the expected amount of reviews I wanted. I changed the summary to maybe catch more attention, but maybe I'm just not cut out for summary writing after all. The doctor said to get off the computer and go do something more productive and how I so agree with him! When I was deleting the summary on fanfic. net it wouldn't let me add more words, but if I could have finished that last sentenced it would have been: _S & S team up again, but not as cardcaptors, but as saviors for one another._ This is going to be one strange story, in which I have to take on a very different style and tone I'm not very fond of. Some explicit scenes, honestly, even I'm uncomfortable describing, but that's how the story goes. This chapter, I have brought in the stereotypes of American society to spice things up. They're not stated outright really, but are very suggestive if you know what I mean. I get really emotional when I write, which makes me so good with all this drama junk in real life or fantasy world. I nearly wept over this chapter because I was thinking about this story/article I read about a girl, who never told her family about her life outside of being a college student. Yes, she was a stripper and she never told anyone about it until she graduated because she was afraid of what people thought of her. She was worried about her image.

What I've learned from reading her story is that it's okay if she does that kind of sex work just to survive. It would only be a real problem if she turned her sex work into a lifelong job and goal, forgetting every moral fiber that should exist in individuals. It's just so sad that in this world there are actually women out there doing stuff like this for fun and liesure. Sure, you get money, but at what price? Dignity? Heart? And Mind? I weep for them. **  
**

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices  


**Chapter 2: The Story that made her**

Ever since he saw her that night, he'd taken up smoking again. Syaoran took a huff on the Marlboro stick and blew out puffs of smoke. He did this behind a dumpster in the same ally that she had thrown him out in. As he smoked by himself, he could hear men's voices nearby, but he ignored them as he continued to enjoy the smell of burning tobacco.

If Sakura ever saw him smoke, she would kill him. He wasn't to blame for starting again. It was her fault that she sold herself out like that to savage eyes and turned him so crappy. He thought all the chain-smoking days of when he was fifteen were numbered. Whenever he picked up a cigarette, though, it was her fault. She could hate the smoke, but it was still her fault.

Syaoran reached into his breast pocket for an unwrapped mint. He popped it in his mouth and rolled it around his tongue, touching the candy to ever crevice of his mouth.

Syaoran turned his head to peak over the trash when he heard the sound of a metal door closing. Sakura had come out wrapped in his jacket. A couple of men were lounging on the opposite end of the street from Syaoran, noticing her from the corner of their eyes. This got Syaoran's blood boiling. He now stood as he watched Sakura slowly walk up to them. She took timid steps and kept her head down.

"Hey, Sakura!" One of them called out as he stopped her in mid-step.

She glanced both ways before turning her eyes up to acknowledge the man.

"I remember a couple of nights ago the incident with the pimp who ravished you."

Sakura gave a long side-way glance to the man that was coming up her right side.

"So?" She finally said.

"So, it bothers me. I've been eyeing you for quite sometime, now. You're Foxy Trot is very sexy."

Sakura gave him a high laugh. "Oh, you really think so?! How flattering. If you want an autograph why don't you just say so?"

Her head whipped around to her left as she caught the third guy take a step toward her.

"No, we don't want autographs. We want the real thing."

Sakura took a step back.

"Look, dancers are to be seen, not touched. Those are Pablo's rules."

"You're not in Chic Galleria and under the supervision of that Mexican man right now, are you?"

"Guess not." She scrunched up her nose. "But don't think you can get away with anything."

"What's one hot chick like you capable of…?" His hand was drifting downward to rest on her shoulder. Remarkably it never made contact because a strong, firm hand took him by the wrist and got in his way.

Syaoran moved in front of Sakura, a frown marring his perfectly handsome visage.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to stand around and find out," Syaoran growled as he slowly pushed the guy's hand away. The guy fought Syaoran back even as he winced in pain.

"I normally beat up cowards like you, who pick on single girls, but tonight I'll make an exception. I'll pity you because I knew you wouldn't stand a chance against her." Syaoran's eyes flashed dangerously. Then, he threw the stranger's arm aside, pushing him over a trash can.

The two men stared at Syaoran, before giving him their ugliest looks. The first one threw a punch aimed for Syaoran's temple, but Syaoran ducked. Shifting, he spun on one foot and kicked him in the butt, flying him three feet into the dumpster. Cool and composed, Syaoran closed the dumpster shut with a riling smirk across his face.

The second one drew a knife from his back pants pocket. Syaoran grinned at him. Furious at Syaoran's confident strides he flung his arm outward, targeting everywhere and anywhere. Syaoran weaved past his flurry of attacks with precision and ease. As if tired of the game, Syaoran knocked the guy's blade out of his hand. His amber eyes gleamed mischief as he watched those dark eyes widen in horror. He still had him by the arm. The rookie fighter tried to kick Syaoran, but only had his leg swiped away. Syaoran pulled him back from falling, his hand sliding up from the guy's shoulder to wrist. His free hand clenched and unclenched and Sakura could see him raise his two fingers, the forefinger and the middle finger. Syaoran's grip on the man's arm never slacked as he slammed his fingers into three sensitive nerves in his arm. The guy screamed in pain and fell to his knees.

"Don't mess with me again." Syaoran grunted.

The other two crawled out of their fetal positions to help their balled up friend to his feet.

"Leave if you know what's good for you."

The pattering of their feet became distant as the three retreated. Syaoran stifled his triumphant laughter and turned to Sakura. Only in place of her, he saw his leather jacket. She was already ten meters ahead of him.

"Not even a thank you!" He called out to her.

She kept walking. She was even picking up the pace.

Syaoran grabbed the knife owned by one of the attackers and ripped it through the shirt and skin of his side. "Shit! Too deep!"

Sakura turned to see what he was on about and almost screamed in terror. He had just cut himself!

"Sakura, I'm bleeding. Can you come help me?"

She rushed forward. "Are you crazy?! The wound can be infected! Do you even know where that's been?"

"I'll survive," he said with a shrug. A smug smile was playing at his lips while he watched her fuss over him.

She picked up his jacket on the floor and draped it over him. Then, she led him to the back door of Chic Galleria and ushered him inside.

At first it was pitch black and Syaoran liked it that way. But then she flipped on the lights, madly blinding him. She disappeared and reappeared with the first aid kit.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered, not too nicely. She was mad he would do something like this. "How am I supposed to clean this?! You're still bleeding!"

Syaoran remained silent as he pulled his shirt off. She wouldn't stop bitching and it annoyed the hell out of Syaoran. However, Sakura did pause in mid-tantrum as her eyes fell on the tattoo that was on his clean side.

"What?" He finally asked when she turned silent.

"N-nothing…"

She started cleaning his wound.

"You're wondering why I have your name in Kanji tattooed into my side."

She blushed.

"It's because you're the only person I would ever die for in this world."

"You make it sound like you don't have a home or family anymore."

"I don't."

Sakura stood with her hands on her hips. "Okay, stand up." He obeyed. She stood right in front of him with a roll of gauze in her hand. Like a pro she tightly warped it around his waist making him sway back in forth. Towards her and then away from her.

"What were you doing behind the dumpster?"

"Eating garbage."

She snipped the bandaging off and pulled him by the arms down to her level, rage in her emerald eyes. "Don't kid around! Were you spying on me?"

Syaoran swayed a bit from the lost of blood. "You can say that."

She pulled him closer until she was grinding her small body against his front. Then, she grabbed his butt and hooked her fingers into his pants pocket. Furiously, she brandished a box of cigarettes in which she tossed to the ground and crushed to the floor with her toe.

"You won't be using those anymore. Ever."

Syaoran sunk to the bench again feeling crushed like his box of cigarettes.

"How long have you been spying on me?"

"A couple of days now. You usually leave with another girl and those guys that were here tonight always hung around. I had a feeling they wouldn't leave until they caught you alone one night and sprung."

"I know."

"You're pretty stupid to come out by yourself. The last one to leave?"

"It was my intention," she snarled. "I didn't ask for your help."

"You thought you could finally fight them off by confronting them."

She tugged on the chain around her neck, pulling out her Star Key. "You seem to be forgetting that I'm the girl who wields the power of the Sakura Cards."

Syaoran eyed the pendant suspiciously. Slowly his eyes trailed up her cleavage where the Key of Star laid nestled and warm between her supple flesh. Sakura noticed him staring and leaned forward for him, her hands now on the back seat of the bench. His eyes met hers in defiance.

"It's a small world after all. How ironic we bump into each other once again. You'd think that if I came to America, you wouldn't wind up being here as well." She plopped down beside him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I really don't care what you think of me now…" She sat up right and turned fully to look at him as she waited for his opinion. She did care and it showed in her posture.

"Slut?"

She gasped and turned the other way again. His hand braced her shoulder gently. "No, you're not a slut. I know. Why would Ivy League material subject herself to man whores unless she's looking for a little cash to pay her bills?"

"How'd you know?"

His finger landed on her lips to silence her. "I have my ways of finding out." Sakura shivered under his touch.

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on, let's grab a drink. I know a bar just three blocks down."

"We're underage!" She cried as he yanked her up on her feet.

"See, you're too big of a goodie-little-miss-two-shoe to ever slutify yourself."

"That's not even a word!"

Syaoran flashed two fake ID's in her face. She caught a glimpse of the two of them in the pictures. She reached out to snatch them from him, but he was too quick.

"Where'd you get those?" She huffed.

"From a friend."

"This is wrong!" She yelled, slapping him on the chest.

"We have a lot to catch up on, Sakura. Let's go." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out.

"What happened to you Syaoran?"

"I was reborn the day you left me," he spat without looking back at her grim face.

He finally released her when they got inside the bar. Sakura held her wrist to her heart where he had bruised her on there way into the bar. Syaoran just left her standing at the doorway as he took a seat on a stool and slammed a fifty on the counter. "Make it as bitter as you can, Larry."

Here was her chance. She could leave him there and go on with her life, college girl and stripper, back and forth like a pendulum. Or. She could seat herself next to him and fixed the poor soul up as best she could.

Sliding into the stool next to Syaoran, she looked up at the bartender, Larry.

"Give her a Long Island skimmed at the top."

"Yes, sir."

Sakura glared at Syaoran, who looked at her over the brim of his glass.

"I don't drink because it kills brain cells. Look at what it's done to you."

Syaoran set his drink down. "I know you don't drink, but I promise you'll like it once you start."

Larry slid her alcoholic beverage down her way. It sloshed a bit in front of her.

"Try it, Sakura."

"I'd rather not. Let's both have a decent conversation without consuming depressive substances, thank you very much."

Syaoran threw his head back and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"You," he gurgled as he took another swallow.

"Tell me Sakura," he dipped his head toward her and she had to look up at his intense, beautiful eyes. They always had the power to make her heart jump to her throat. The way he looked at her was reserved only for her. "Tell me Sakura, how we broke up."

Sakura raised her thin, perfect eyebrow at him. "Clearly if you weren't so drunk, you should remember that we didn't."

"I'm not drunk."

"One of us has to stay sober to get us home in one piece."

"I know the Drunken Fist; the deadly technique. I told you about it before I left when we were twelve. Remember?"

Sakura sighed. "Yes, I remember. I also remember someone saying he would write to me everyday, but he never did again after my fourteenth birthday. You broke my heart Syaoran."

"What the hell are you talking about?! You stopped writing to me!"

Sakura sighed. "Does it really matter anymore? It's a thing of the past."

"Yeah, but the past comes back and bites you in the ass once in a while." He wolfed down some more in one gulp and ordered another.

Sakura averted her eyes to the counter top. Her small index finger started tracing the burnt designs in the hard oak. Depressed men puffing their lives away on cigarettes left the marks on the table and Sakura was trying to connect their lives by drawing circles around the artificial designs.

"What else do you remember about us when we were twelve?" She asked quietly.

"The first kiss. Our first kiss."

Sakura smiled at that, for a moment catching a glimpse of the old Syaoran. The image she rendered died so quickly though because of their heinous environment and situation.

"What about it?" Sakura asked softly.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I also thought it was sweet," she agreed.

He gave her a sly look. "Frenching you didn't seem possible after we went our separate ways. I guess I have to thank the whore house for bringing us together again." He noticed her hand clench over the countertop.

Her flushed face spoke a million words. "That was very inappropriate of you."

"What? Sticking my tongue down your throat… You didn't like it as much as the other times men did it to you?"

She inhaled and exhaled before she barked at him. "No one has ever done that to me! I only dance.

And to think, Syaoran could be so cruel and violating hurts me to the core. I've only known the gentle Syaoran. Not the one I saw a couple of nights ago."

"It would do you some good to leave that trashy place."

"You seemed to enjoy yourself not long ago at that 'trashy place.'"

"I was there with my sex hound friends. That's all. They thought it would be fun to hold a birthday party at a strip club."

Her frown disappeared, while a blush replaced it.

"You didn't think I was some sort of aroused teenage boy, who couldn't control his raging hormones did you?"

Sakura shook her head timidly.

"Ha! You did! Sakura, you out of all people should know that I don't look at other girls that way."

"Well, you have changed…"

"So, have you."

"For good reason unlike you!"

"Why not a waitress instead, then? It's a decent, normal job that doesn't demean you."

"Over fifty thousand American dollars a year. You think six bucks an hour can cover all that? Even my loans aren't enough."

"What about your father? He isn't helping you out?"

"He doesn't have to. He's got enough to deal with as it is."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "I guess you're brother doesn't know either."

She finally looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. He was so alarmed by her sorrow. He felt his breathing hitch as her tiny body slammed into him. He gathered her in his arms, supporting her the whole time she sobbed into his shirt.

It was almost over two years ago when the accident happened. Just finishing her last year of high school, Sakura was ready to move on and go off to The University. Everything shattered when one night, her father received a phone call from the police.

Yukito and Touya were on their way home from Touya's business party when suddenly a car side-swiped theirs. Yukito, who was behind the wheel, survived with minor injuries, thanks to Yue, but Touya had been clinging to dear life. The man, who had driven them off their lane and slammed them into the barricade, had been drunk. Got a DUI and was released on bail, but Touya, who was a victim of another's carelessness, remained on life support for a year. He had been pinned between Yukito's uprooted driver's seat and the drunk guy's car, which left him in a coma for a year. Devastation truly hit home, when Touya awoke from the coma and the doctor said something about the effects of his head trauma. Touya would have to start all over with life, starting with the basics. He wouldn't remember everyone he ever loved.

Yukito took care of him for three months until he suddenly broke. He was placed in an insane asylum for numerous suicide attempts. Sakura tried to convince the doctors that her brother's lover was really alright because he was never going to actually succeed in killing himself as long as Yue was still around, but the doctors wouldn't hear her out. She couldn't just tell them that Yukito had an alter-ego to protect him all the time. Who would believe her? They'd probably put her in the same cell as Yukito.

After Yukito was put away, Touya's remaining care-taker was his own father, Fujitaka Kinomoto. The gentle and kind man embraced his son again as if he was a baby. Setting aside all her plans after high school for a couple of months, Sakura helped out, but it was hard work jogging Touya's memory. Some innate love for a parent seemed like it existed in Touya since he was more than comfortable with their father, but it was a different story with Sakura. Touya was never himself again around her. He was sometimes even terrified of her. So she left in the end, to go after her dream of finishing college. She finally knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be a doctor because every time she saw her brother, she dreamed of being loved by him again. There really isn't a strong link between her dream and her career, but for some reason fate brought her here to America.

"Even if he knew, he wouldn't remember who I was and probably could care less."

Syaoran continued crushing her to him. "I don't believe it. It doesn't sound like the bastard at all."

"He came out with no memory, Syaoran. He isn't to blame. Please refrain from calling my brother that."

He kissed the top of her head and apologized.

"I have to keep going, Syaoran. For my father, for Yukito, Yue, and for Onii-chan."

"Not like this. There must be another way through this. You don't have to expose yourself and throw your dignity out to that asshole boss of yours and those fuckin' men."

"Let me, Syaoran. Please…"

"No! We never broke up right? So you're still mine."

Sakura tried to pull away from him, but Syaoran held her fast. "You're still mine," he repeated.

"I care about you, too," she whimpered. She was scared at the way his eyes bore into her, like he was picking up every shard of her life right that instant. Not even for a second did he worry that he might get cut.

"I said 'aishiteru yo' in Tomoeda's Airport over six years ago. I keep to my word. I love you and I will never let you go."

"Syaoran…" She breathed, reaching out to caress his face tenderly. "Aishiteru," she murmured as he kissed her cheek.

"Drink up," he said, putting her in his lap and giving her the Long Island that had been sitting in front of them. "It'll make you feel better."

"I don't know…"

He picked it up for her and placed it next to her pink lips.

"Drink," he urged again.

She obliged this time, taking a sip. She realized she liked it and took the rest of it down. Syaoran was smiling from ear to ear. He wanted to hear what she had to say, but it would mean she had to get rid of all inhibition, so one glass was really not enough.

"Larry, another without taking off the top this time."

Larry looked over at Sakura, who was now leaning on Syaoran and murmuring sweet words into his ear as she tugged on his collar. Larry grinned. "You sure, Wolf?"

"Damn sure it won't be necessary." Syaoran grimaced as Sakura kissed the pulsing skin right around his collar bone.

The gate was rising and soon he could talk to her without her being too reserved.

"Drink some more," Syaoran said to her as she dipped her tongue into the drink in such a fascinating and exotic way; Syaoran was losing his mind just watching her.

Again he said, "Drink."

She stared at it before draining it right out of Syaoran's hand. She hiccupped, drawing her head back and staring at Syaoran in a drunk stupor. "You're so beautiful," she whispered, while her hand crawled up his chest.

"Wolf! Got an explanation for why you're holding a stripper in your arms right now?"

"Can you put a sock in it, Larry and give me another. Also give us some breathing room, so we can talk privately."

Another drink came their way and Larry walked over to the other end of the bar.

"Sakura…"

She kissed him on the mouth and drew back again. "You're beautiful."

"I heard you the first time," he said with a grin. "If only you knew how hot you are even without stripping."

"What stripping," she hiccupped. His eyes told her everything. "Oh, you mean that stripping. What? What are we talking about again?"

"I want to wire my bank account to yours to help you out."

"No way! I can take care of my monetary problems myself, thank you very much!"

"Why won't you let me help you?" He suddenly asked, roughly grabbing her hand to cease her ministrations on his chest. Angry again.

"Come on even men have independence. Why can't a woman take care of herself without having a guy fuss over her?"

"So that's why you don't want your father or me helping you out. You want your little sweet independence."

She giggled. "Sweet and little independence," she said without inhibition. She closed her eyes as her head slumped against his chest.


	3. Baby Steps into her Heart

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 3: He's taking those Baby Steps into her Heart**

A yellow, Twinkie was floating in front of her when she awoke. Both drowsy and hungry, Sakura's head whipped up and latched up at the Twinkie in midair with her teeth. The Twinkie was actually a tail that was attached to our favorite guardian beast, Kero-sama.

"Yowchie!!!!" He cried as he bounced about in the air, massaging his hurting tail.

A warm laugh caught Sakura's attention and she sat up to look in the right general direction.

She rubbed her eyes, "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Twenty hours," Syaoran placidly stated.

Sakura frowned at him. "And you let me sleep in?! I got a paper due next week!"

"I'm sure you can finish."

She got up and stumbled toward his smiling, handsome face. "It's your fault it's going to stink. I only had today to write it! If you hadn't kept me at the bar so long and got me drunk, I would have finished my report by now!"

"You remember that?" Syaoran asked.

"Why else would I have to sleep for twenty hours if I hadn't been drunk almost a day ago?!"

"Mo, Sakura-chan, it hurts!" Kero cried.

"Pipe down, Stuffed Animal," Syaoran snapped.

Kero did a somersault in the air and flew over to Syaoran in a furious tumult. "I should be smacking you for bringing Sakura home so late, Brat. You have no ground to stand on, so don't boss me around!"

Sakura groaned as she touched her head, which made Syaoran and Kero turn their heads at her.

"You shouldn't be getting a hangover, Sakura. The brat put a deep sleep spell on you, so you'd be fine in the morning."

"You what?!" Sakura cried in outrage. "So it wasn't the drinks! It was your spell!"

Syaoran grinned at her again as he stood up to face her. "Does your head hurt?"

"Isn't it obvious, Brat? She's holding her head."

"Ie… It hurts because Kero-chan is so loud!" Sakura turned on her guardian beast, who made a face.

"Mo, Sakura-chan…"

"Cerberus, will you leave us alone for a minute?"

"Alone with you? What if you try to make a move on her? No! I will not have you take Sakura at such a vulnerable state. I will—"

"Ke-ro-chan!" Sakura hissed through gritted teeth.

"Alright, I'll go!"

The door closed as Kero stormed away. When Sakura turned to Syaoran, she could see his eyes wash over her tenderly. "I can't believe that Stuffed Animal doesn't know what you do at night."

"I hope you didn't tell him!"

"No, but he mentioned you being a waitress at Hooters."

She whipped her head around both ways.

"No, he only mentioned you being a waitress. That's when I knew he didn't know."

"Syaoran… Please don't tell him. He's so happy to have his sweets, thinking that it came from the money I earn from waiting on tables."

"I won't tell, Sakura, but then you have to do something for me."

"What?"

"We're going to school and eating dinner together afterwards. You're not going to 'work' tonight. Alright?"

"Just for today, right?"

"Yes." For now, Syaoran thought.

"Deal."

"The toy is coming with us."

"Why?"

"To guarantee, you won't show up at work," he said, complacently sitting in his chair again.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Not really."

Sakura paced back in forth in front of him irritated that she had to meet his demands. It was all for the sake of Kero. Her guardian would flip if he ever found out about her part-time job. Or worst, he might never want to speak to her again, too ashamed to face his mistress whom he admired for spirit and heart.

"And I must confess to something," Syaoran murmured, breaking through her cloud of thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I spiked your drink last night. When I told Larry to skim the top that was the code I used."

"Why would you do something like that?" Her mouth turned downward in a frown.

"I wanted to convince you because I knew you wouldn't let me help you if you were uninhibited."

"I'm angry," she stated simply. "I can't believe you would do something like that!"

"I didn't have a choice. You wouldn't have listened to me if you were sober."

"I've already lost a lot in my life. Why do you have to try and take away my pride? Let me do this on my own!"

"You don't have any self-respect in the first place."

Kero started banging on their shut door, asking for breakfast. "Sakura-chan! I haven't eaten anything since the morning and it's lunch time now. A great guardian beast like me needs food to replenish my strength!"

Syaoran threw open the door. "You don't even need food, Stuffed Animal! You eat for sport!"

"And tastiness," Kero added.

Syaoran's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"You got a problem, Brat?"

He glanced over at Sakura, who mutely stood next to her window. He couldn't see her eyes, but he could imagine how they looked. Intangible grief and disbelief coated in her glistening emerald orbs. Light glittering in the sea green depths for all her misfortunes and mistakes.

"Sakura?" He asked quietly.

She turned and beamed at them. "Sorry, Kero-chan! What would you like for breakfast?"

She wasn't really angry at Syaoran. At least not yet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Syaoran stepped out of the Dean's office, mouth set in a thin line.

"What? What is it?" Sakura asked. "Why'd you have to go see the Dean?"

"Aw, nothing. Just thinking about school and how much I hated it." Syaoran was waving his hand, holding a sheet of paper in the air. "Yeah, I did well, but I hated it."

"Hey, is that your transcript?!"

Syaoran raised it above her head as she tried to snatch it from him. "My grades are mine. Mine. Understand?"

"Ie… Syaoran, don't be mean!" She stopped jumping for his transcript and placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Does this mean Syaoran went to talk to the Dean for enrollment?"

Syaoran smiled at the way her eyes lit up. He nodded.

"Really? We should take a few classes together, then."

"As much as I would love to do that, it's not possible."

"What?!" She pouted. When he let his guard down for a minute, Sakura took the opportunity to grab his transcript.

"Harvard for undergrad?!" She cried as she dodged him.

"Sakura, give it back!"

"You made it to Dean's Honors List?!"

"Sakura…"

"This can't be right, Syaoran. According to this, you graduated two years ago. You couldn't have been done with high school."

"Look, I skipped a couple of grades. Now will you give that back?"

"Syaoran's so smart." He grabbed the sheet from her.

"So what? Grades don't mean anything."

"You have a degree in Marketing and Management. What have you been doing these past two years?"

"Stuff," he grunted.

"Stuff?" She frowned. "What kind of stuff?"

"Stop asking stupid questions!" He hollered.

"Are you only taking classes to be closer to me? To make sure I don't go to Chic Galleria again?"

"I can't really stop you, can I?"

Her jaw was set and she glared at him hard.

"You really have to stop frowning. It doesn't suit you."

Kero popped his head out of Sakura's knapsack. "What is this Chic Galleria?" Sakura and Syaoran froze at the question.

"Sakura!" They were saved.

Syaoran tried to jam Kero back into the bag as the Guardian Beast protested angrily. "Look Stuffed Animal, if anyone sees you…"

"Who's this?" Chelsea asked, her eyes never leaving Syaoran's face.

"This? This is my brother," Sakura said.

Syaoran twisted Sakura around and pinned her arm to her back. He growled. "I am not your brother."

"Syaoran…" Sakura whined, as his face inched closer to hers.

Chelsea's eyes darted back and forth between the two.

"I'm her Lover."

"Syaoran!"

"What?"

Sakura looked back at Chelsea. "He's from Hong Kong."

"She doesn't need to know that, Sakura."

"Me and him go way back; best friends."

"Lovers," Syaoran corrected.

Chelsea laughed out loud, interrupting the introductions. She held her stomach and choked out her next words. "You two are so cute!"

"Thank you," Syaoran sincerely said, releasing Sakura's arm and resting his arm around her slim waist. Sakura felt the heat of his hand against her thigh. She had to try hard not to blush.

"Sakura, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but class starts in five minutes." Chelsea was tapping her watch. "Time is money!"

"Hoeee!" Sakura tried to make a break for it, but Syaoran pulled her back. In the spur of the moment, Syaoran thought about being passionate and convincing in front of Sakura's American friend, Chelsea. He thought a display of pulling her into his chest and pressing her lips with a hard kiss would do the trick, so he did just that.

"Oh my God, you two! Three minutes!"

Sakura was trying to pull away, but Syaoran just bent forward more, catching her lips hungrily. "Don't go…" He moaned.

He meant for her not to go to Chic Galleria ever again. Not ditch school. Sakura successfully pulled away. "I can't."

How many times did she have to say it? This was why boyfriends never worked out for strippers. They wouldn't let any other guy see or touch their girlfriends.

However, there was a reason to love Syaoran. Not only was he the sweetest guy in the entire whole wide world. We agree with Sakura don't we? He was also a very secretive man, who would never turn against her without reason.

"Can you hold my bag, Syaoran?" She handed over her knapsack with Kero tossing inside.

"What? Wait!"

"Thanks!"

"Dammit, Sakura!"

Kero popped his head out of the bag again. "Tough luck, Buddy."

"Tell me about it!"

"I meant me, Brat! I'm stuck with you for the rest of the day!"

"Stuff it you."

For the most part of the day, Syaoran was wandering around the perimeter of Chic Galleria as if he was waiting for her to be running down the street to work. He just always had the dark feeling that she would do something like that even though she promised that she would be clean at least for a day. It was a feeling akin to male propriety. He would lash out at her from behind if he even saw a glimpse of her near the place. He would tackle her to the ground and drag her to his apartment if he had to. She was to keep to her promise to him no matter what or else.

"Hey, Brat!"

"What?" Syaoran swiveled his head around to stare at Kero's fluffy, yellow head.

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes! I'm hungry."

Syaoran stopped and looked at the front entrance to Chic Galleria. The neon sign blinked on. A man stepped out of the building, setting out a sign with a half-nude girl on it.

"Pervert! I knew you were always a pervert! I'm telling Sakura. You're always thinking about naked women. Closet Pervert! You won't cheat on her. I won't let…" Syaoran clamped his hand over Kero's mouth to stop his tirade.

He ran for the nearest convenient store with the bag clutched in his arms. Kero was starting to struggle against him. Syaoran ran through the automatic doors of Quick-Mart and snatched every kind of candy bar on the racks, cheesecake, donuts, cookies, you name it. As the clerk scanned in everything, he was staring at Syaoran stuffing his bag with interest.

"What else have you got in there?" He asked.

"My girlfriend's plush," Syaoran grunted as he squeezed the last muffin into the bag. It wasn't a lie. Without really zipping it up properly he hurried out. At the rate that Kero ate at, he had approximately half an hour to get home before he started screaming in public again. As Syaoran ran with Kero bouncing happily in his knapsack, Syaoran was scolding himself for looking like such a fool.

"That's cruel!" Kero cried with his mouth stuffed with chocolate after Syaoran unzipped his bag. Kero burst out of the bag, rage filling his black pupils.

In mid-burst he paused. Syaoran rolled his eyes as he watched Kero's eyes turn from him and stare at something on the floor that fell out of the bag.

"Ah! Cream Puffs! I didn't see you in that mean brat's bag!" Kero snatched the delights and embraced them in his tight paws. "Where have you been all my life?!"

Syaoran got up from his sitting position and dusted off the crumbs that Kero left on his pants. He moved to the kitchen, pulling out a pot and starting the stove.

"If you think you can bribe me into not telling Sakura about your perverted mind, then think again. I don't—what you making?" Kero hovered around Syaoran's head, tail flipping this way and that. Watching Syaoran work, Kero already forgot about what he wanted to say.

"Dinner," he said simply. "I have this friend from an Italian family, who gave me the best recipe for sauce."

He reached past Kero, who swerved away as Syaoran pulled open the cabinet. He took out a box of…

"Pasta!" Kero cheered.

Syaoran moved to the stove again, turning up the fire some more. "Do you remember that time when I came back to Japan to help out with the Void Card?"

"Yeah!" There were stars in Kero's eyes as he watched Syaoran work.

"We had spaghetti together with Sakura the first night I went over."

"Yeah! You were such a dork!" Kero started rolling in the air before he landed on Syaoran's shoulder. The Stuffed Animal was still laughing at him.

"And you were a greedy pig."

Kero snorted. The weight of a spoon on his head stopped him from laughing. He looked up and watched Syaoran smile at him. "But I guess you're not that selfish if you're so willing to protect Sakura."

Kero started pumping up his muscles as he flew into the air. "Yeah, of course I'm selfless!"

"When you're not thinking about food."

Kero blinked his beady eyes at the young sorcerer and descendent of his last mater. He wasn't like the kid back in the Card Captor Days, trying in vain to beat Sakura at everything and then successfully getting her to fall in love with him. Syaoran seemed all grown up in just six years. "You know what, Kid? You're not half bad."

"Coming from you, Stuffed Animal? That's a surprise."

Syaoran started setting the table, while Kero was still hanging in the air. "Lots have happened since you left," Kero explained.

"I know. Sakura told me."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Kero sat next to his plate, his stitched brows coming together thoughtfully. He crossed his yellow arms in front of him and nodded as if he knew and understood everything. Kero never showed how upset he was when Yue had to leave the team. He never even complained when Sakura just fell apart and cried almost every night after everything happened. After Syaoran left, after the accident, Kero kept everything to himself. Always trying to hold the fort on his own for the sake of his Mistress.

"Cerberus…"

Kero looked up at Syaoran, his memories fading into a haze as he watched Syaoran's determined, red eyes glowing.

"I plan on marrying her between now and the end of this week. I thought I might let you know."

"What?!" The doll sputtered.

"In my family we have a tradition. We have at least one member of both sides to consent and witness."

"Are you insane?!"

"I already called a Li back home. You're the closest thing to family to Sakura right now."

Kero sighed. "Sakura's not going to let you rush this."

"She won't refuse me. I won't let her," Syaoran said, determination set in his amber eyes.

"And what if I refuse to consent?"

"Then, you will never taste my pasta again! And to top that off other recipes in my name will never satisfy your taste buds!"

"The horror!" Kero weaved through the air, paws pressed to his round cheeks. He was really serious. There was no way he was passing up Syaoran's cooking. It smelled so gooooooood.

After dinner, Kero slept through the night on the sofa. Syaoran was watching him, his yellow belly rising and falling with every breath he took. He draped a blanket over the sleeping doll and sat on the other end of the sofa, resting his head in his palm in deep contemplation. And then, his cell phone started vibrating.

It was Sakura.

"Hello?"

"Syaoran!"

"You sound angry when it should actually be the other way around. Leaving the monster that raids the fridge with me all day isn't exactly funny."

"Leave Kero and get over here right now!"

"Where's here? It better not be…"

"My apartment and be prompt about it!"

She hung up, then.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Syaoran opened the door to Sakura's apartment and nearly died of laughter at the sight before him. It was Sakura on top of two very familiar men, friends of Syaoran's actually. One of them, the bigger one with black hair was on the floor, belly down, with his hands tied above his head and his feet just as tied up. Sakura had stuffed a gag around his mouth. Then, the second man, blonde and lanky was on top of the man on the floor. He had electrical tape over his mouth and he was lying there on top of the first man tied up in pretty much the same way. Sakura sat cross-legged on the blonde man's back as she looked across the room at the guest, who had decided to answer her angry call in the first place. Both captives started moaning and mumbling under their gags when they saw Syaoran.

"Your friends, I presume," Sakura spoke icily.

"You guys are fools," Syaoran laughed as he stood next to their shameful heads.

Sakura frowned. "They followed me home from school and attacked me once I got inside!"

Syaoran smiled at her. "Then, you didn't go to the Whore House."

"A promise is a promise. How else was I supposed to win your trust?" This earned her a big hug from him.

Syaoran helped her up and they both walked around Ely and Julian.

"They wouldn't hurt a hair on you, Sakura," Syaoran promised.

"They barged in here, threatened me to go with them or else!"

"They know you. That's all and they were trying to convince you to join the party where we watch some men fraternize."

"What party?" Sakura asked, looking at him through curious, innocent eyes.

"None that I would ever have you show up at alone," Syaoran drawled, and meanwhile was tearing off his friends' gags. "How did you take on two of Drake's best?"

"I used 'Fight,'" she said smugly. "Who's Drake, Syaoran?"

Ely coughed, raising himself on his knees a bit. "He's our boss."

"You _do_ work, don't you Syaoran?" Sakura asked excitedly. "They wanted to bring me to a party held at your place of work?"

Syaoran ignored her questions and turned his furious gaze on the two. "What were you guys thinking, showing up here?"

Syaoran was furious that his "work" buddies had to reveal themselves to Sakura in such a fashion.

Julian chuckled. "Just thought we could help you out a bit, Friend."

"Help out with what?" Sakura asked, but Syaoran covered her mouth with his hand.

"You haven't told her how you make a living, Wolf," Julian stated, eyes sliding to one side grimly.

Sakura's thin eyebrows came together as she pushed Syaoran's hand out of the way. "What do you guys do?"

Silence settled around the four of them as no one opened their mouths to answer.

Frustrated, Sakura clung to Syaoran's arm. "I'm going!"

* * *

Thanks for the reviews! I've learned to be more thankful for a lot of stuff. I'm just so darned lucky. I'm glad I'm in school, I'm glad there's a new season of Naruto, I'm glad there's always a happy place to go to when I'm sad. 

I've made a bargain with myself that will be fruitful in the long run. I'm taking a break from all this writing. I'll be back in June; May the earliest. As for my website.. I won't have time to touch it until the summer vacation, but even then, I'm probably leaving the States for a month or two. See? Aint I good about letting people know when I go away? Well, see you all in a little bit. These months will fly by I promise. They always do.


	4. The Story that made him

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 4: The Story that made him**

The way the men looked at her chilled her to the bone. They were like starving hyenas with hawking eyes. They all looked the same, yet different. All of them were draped across furniture, their bodies covered in black, dreary garments. Their head were turned in her direction ever since she stepped into the basement where they gathered. Not the happy bunch she imagined.

"D-e-l-i-c-i-u-s-e," One of them spelled out as he got up and circled Sakura.

"It's Delicious, D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s, Nitwit." Julian, who had walked in with Sakura, spoke.

"Hi there, Lovely," the dark man said, reaching out to touch her face.

"Fuck off!" Syaoran screamed, taking the aberrant hand that was a centimeter away from Sakura's face and twisting it at a painful angle.

The rest of them rose on their feet to pull Syaoran off of him, but Syaoran wouldn't even let them get a meter near him. He had appeared out of the blue, one moment with Ely unpacking the car and the next moment he was inside the basement trying to break the wrist of a man twice his size.

"Shit, Syaoran let him go!" Ely hollered, as he dropped the boxes he walked in with.

"He dared touch my girl!"

Ely glared at the dark man, who was cowering before Syaoran in pain. "Sakura's his, understand?!"

He nodded, but Syaoran still wouldn't let him go.

Most of them seemed off the wall and dopey as they watched the show. They really didn't know what to do. Some of them who weren't mentally off because of drugs were finding it quite shocking that Syaoran had claimed the girl as his. He never labeled a girl as his property. Damn, he never cared about girls and people always thought that he might have been homosexual for that matter. He had never turned on his brothers for a mere girl before!

"What is going on here?" A commanding voice demanded from behind Sakura.

Sakura backed into him in shock. He merely caught her and looked down at her in surprise. His hazel eyes sparked in recognition at the sight of her. At this moment, Syaoran seemed to forget about the man he had in his strong grip and turned to Sakura and the man who had just entered.

"Hands off!" Syaoran yelled at him as he dragged Sakura away from everyone. He nearly lifted her off her feet carrying her across the room to a table covered in packages of marijuana and syringes. Sakura gingerly picked up a package and sniffed it carefully before flinging it across the room in disgust as if it were a dead rat. She couldn't believe that this was the environment that Syaoran worked in.

Syaoran swept everything off the table and had her sit in a chair.

"Little Wolf, what do you think you're doing?" asked the new comer with a look of disapproval darkening his face. "The little porn princess doesn't need your pampering."

"Take that back, Drake!"

Drake stepped forward and took a seat next to Sakura. Finally, everyone noticed how two blonde ladies in bikinis trailed after him. Sakura had gathered so much attention that people overlooked the sexy tramps, who were making an entry with their dark and infinitely handsome boss.

Drake did not look at all pleased as he gazed at their supplies scattered on the floor. He had the ladies take a seat behind him as he dusted off the yellow jacket he had on. Meanwhile, Syaoran squeezed a chair in between the boss and Sakura, slamming into his seat.

"You need to chill, Wolf," Drake ordered as he leaned back.

"Let's do this quick and go."

"What's the rush? I want to meet your girlfriend."

"You know her," Syaoran muttered, eyes slanting skeptically.

"Of course I do. She's the beautiful Sakura. The prettiest flower of Chic Galleria." Drake leaned over Syaoran and towards Sakura. "Say, Sakura, you wouldn't know Rose and Violet, hm?"

"I don't associate with them although we work in the same place," Sakura replied, heat rushing to her face. She couldn't meet his penetrating eyes. They could never match Syaoran's, but they were still very beautiful. Even powerful.

"I know you wouldn't. I had my fun with those wenches for about an hour before I gave them both the boot. I thought I had a chance with you someday, but I guess Syaoran has already claimed you."

"Ie," Sakura whispered.

Syaoran seemed to relax a bit at Drake's friendly, mild manner.

"Hey, Sakura. I've been eyeing that Chrysanthemum and Poppy a lot lately. Do you mind introducing me to them sometime?"

"I-I-don't really know Chrys or Poppy, either."

"Haven't you been around, since the day it opened?"

"Yes, but… They are all very experienced, having worked at places before Chic Galleria…"

Syaoran interrupted her. "This isn't an interrogation, Drake. No more questions."

"You need to relax, Syaoran," Drake sighed as he dragged a joint out of his pocket and lit it. He took a puff and handed it to Syaoran. "Relax," he repeated, a delighted smile stretching his smooth lips. "Let your worries loose."

Sakura snatched the joint from Drake and threw it to the floor. "Syaoran doesn't do stuff like that!"

Drake drew in a harsh breath. "Is she the reason why, you've always refused our happy advice since day one, Syaoran?"

"Syaoran doesn't need drugs to be happy!"

"Sakura, you don't know the real Syaoran, yet. He doesn't need drugs to make him happy, you're right, but he does need the thrill and shock of a fun heist."

Syaoran bowed his head, amber eyes fading behind his chestnut bangs.

Sakura stood up and shook Syaoran's shoulder. "Syaoran, what is he talking about? What are you hiding from me?"

"Syaoran, in actuality, is very naughty, Sakura." Drake gave Syaoran a pat on the shoulder as he stood. "Let me show you."

"Viper," Drake ordered. A familiar face floated to them. It was Larry, the bartender. "Get the car ready. I'm taking Sakura, Wolf, Rex and Tick out tonight."

Rex, who was Julian, stood along with Tick, also called Ely. Wolf, Viper, Rex, and Tick were all code names for people Sakura knew or at any rate she thought she knew. Drake said something about taking them out for a ride and pulling a jig. Whatever all of that meant, Sakura didn't want to know.

Just looking at Syaoran, hunched over was enough to tell her that even he was not happy about what they were going to do tonight. Before she could scream at Syaoran for looking like a baby, her feet had already followed suit of the men that Drake called out. This was it. She would see what they did so late at night. She would see what Syaoran spurned aside back at home, in Hong Kong, for endless nights of crime and violence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The van carrying the six of them, Syaoran, Sakura, Drake, Ely, Julian, and Larry, arrived and screeched to a halt at a warehouse.

Ely began picking at the lock, while the rest of them stood aside; waiting in anticipation, save for two lone people.

Sakura had pulled Syaoran to the side. "You don't have to do this Syaoran! This isn't right," she whispered urgently.

"What do you know from what's right or wrong. You're a shitty stripper, for God's sake."

Sakura covered her mouth in shock at his outburst. "Syaoran, what I do is for my own good."

"Then, what I do is for my own good as well." He turned from her, tearing his arm from her grasp.

Ely broke the lock and the five men entered, leaving Sakura to shiver outside in the cold night air. They started piling boxes of Cuban cigars out into the truck as Sakura watched with wide terrified eyes.

"Who's there?" Someone called.

Sakura spun around and hid behind the car door. Meanwhile, Syaoran came bursting out of the warehouse. At first, he was just worried about Sakura and therefore searched for her with his eyes, but then, he just forgot and went right in for the attack, knocking the man unconscious.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried, tears brimming around her eyes. Syaoran reached out to grab her as she flung herself heavily into him. She pulled her face up close to his and he noticed how her pupils dilated. He started kissing her eyes, his cold lips feeling the salty essence of her.

"We got to go!" Drake commanded. "Everyone get in."

Syaoran carried Sakura into the backseat and cradled her in his arms. His arms never loosened around her as she shivered in fear and listlessness. She had just witnessed Syaoran attacking an innocent, harmless man. It was all she could bare, not to cry or yell over Syaoran.

Seated in the passenger side, Ely looked back at them from the rearview mirror. "You think she's alright?"

"Probably a panic attack. We all have those once in a while," Drake murmured, leaning back in his bucket seat and closing his eyes. "Now, wasn't that fun?"

For some reason, Syaoran could not have disagreed more. He swore he would never drag Sakura into this kind of a game plan again. It wasn't because she killed the fun just by being there, but the fact that she would react in such a way was beyond mortification. If Syaoran only had Time in his hands he would use it to fix this mistake.

"Larry, drop us off here," Syaoran said.

"Look, you're not walking from here. It's about a mile long from the hideout."

"Don't give me that shit!" Syaoran threw a stress ball at the driver's head. "Stop the car!"

Larry pulled over and clambered out of his seat to open the car door.

"Help me get her out," Syaoran muttered quietly.

Syaoran was stepping out of the van when suddenly a hand grasped his shoulder. The hand belonged to Drake. He said, "Don't be like this, Syaoran. Get back inside."

Syaoran jerked his hand away. "When I started working for you, we had a bargain. You leave me to my business and I help you out."

Drake sighed, releasing his hard grip on Syaoran's shoulder. "Once a lone wolf always a lone wolf," Drake whispered.

Larry placed Sakura on Syaoran's back silently. "There, she's secured."

Without even a nod, Syaoran got up and started walking. Sakura's head was against his neck and her arms hung loosely around his neck. He hated jostling her around too much, so he walked steadily.

"Put me down," she finally whispered.

"You're alright?" He asked, turning his head, so that his lips touched her ear.

Sakura nodded mutely. Then, Syaoran set her down on her feet. He was expecting her to let go of him, but her hand still hung around his waist. Syaoran, looked down at her, trying to get a look at her face and read her expression, but she wouldn't let him. Her face buried itself in the front of his musky shirt. She just hung there against him.

"It's been such a long night," her muffled voice whispered. "Take me back to your place."

Syaoran did just that.

Kero woke up when he sensed Sakura's presence. He threw the blankets over his head and bounded for the door.

"Sakura-chan!" Kero cried happily as he watched Sakura step inside.

Her head was bowed and she didn't say much except for, "Kero, let's go inside Syaoran's bedroom. I have something to tell you."

"Sakura," Syaoran called. His amber eyes swallowed her hunched form and depressed aura. He wanted to reach out and touch her hair, her face, and her eyes.

Syaoran paused amidst the images he was rendering with his tired mind. Shaking his head he said, "Would you like some warm milk?"

"I would!" Kero called.

"No thanks. I'm fine."

The door closed behind Kero. A wave of tortured silence whipped around Syaoran as he stood alone in his tidy kitchen.

After five minutes Kero came out, his face grim, his brows drawn. He closed the door behind him as Syaoran set a cup of milk down for him. Kero didn't even look twice at the inviting drink.

"Did she say something?" Syaoran asked hoarsely.

"You knew all along didn't you?" The guardian beast crossed his arms in front of him as he sat on the counter before Syaoran.

"Knew about what?"

Kero's black eyes closed. "Knew about her job; she took off clothes for men to gawk at her."

"That's how I met her," Syaoran confessed.

"I'm not mad, but… Brat! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"It was her secret."

"Now, she's making me keep it from Tomoyo!"

"Lower your voice. What's this about Daidouji-san?"

"She's coming for a visit and Sakura doesn't want her to know the truth. Sakura is miserable and I can't stand seeing her like this," said Kero, shaking his little head in remorse. "For once in my life, I don't know what to do. I don't know what kind of advice to give."

"How about convincing her to marry me, Stuffed Animal?"

"Not so bad an idea after all, Brat!"

"She'll have to accept my support if we tie the knot."

Kero shook his head again in disagreement. "I'm not sure about that. She's pretty stubborn about being independent."

"Well, you're going to help me beat up that stubborn streak, Cerberus. That's the only way she'll stop stripping for money."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura stepped out of the bedroom and looked around her. Kero was watching T.V. with his face pressed against the screen. The HD pictures jumping in its motley orientation against his beady eyes.

Sakura looked over to the side at the dining table and saw Syaoran seated, cross-legged, and enjoying the daily newspaper with his cup of coffee. His half-eaten bagel was slipping off his plate.

Sakura cleared her throat to get his attention. Syaoran looked up from his newspaper and smiled at the lovely sight. Her hair was sticking up at odd ends and her clothes were askew on her body. She was the perfect picture of a little girl having just woken up.

Syaoran took a sip out of his mug and set it on the table again. "Hungry?" He asked.

"Dirty."

"Want to shower first? I can take you to a diner and bring leftovers for the Toy afterward."

Whatever happened last night turned awry in her mind. It was like some sort of nightmare from a different realm that further distanced itself from her reality. She had confessed to Kero that she was a stripper last night, which was a great weight lifted off her shoulders. If only that was the only thing that happened last night.

"Go shower first."

In the bathroom, she stripped down and hopped into the tub. She turned the water on until it was steaming hot. She stood there, letting the sprays of water drench her and cleanse her. Sakura glanced down her body, a wave of devastation hitting her full force.

Suddenly, the shower curtains were whipped open. Sakura looked up and saw a stark naked Syaoran standing there, hand clenched against the green shower curtains. Sakura stifled a yelp as her eyes drowned in his dark, ardent pools of amber.

Syaoran stepped into the tub with her and pushed her against the moist marble wall. This time Sakura did yelp, only to have Syaoran gag her with the firm pressure of his mouth against hers. He squashed her between the wall and him as he ravished her mouth in hunger and vengeful passion. He pressed his rock hard body to hers, his long fingers trailing up her stomach to grip her supple breast. Sakura cringed and moaned under his touch. His mouth burned her more than the water was.

"Sakura," he moaned in between her gasping breaths.

"Sakura…"

"Sakura!" Syaoran was banging on the bathroom door. "You've been in there an awful long time. I need to use the bathroom!"

Sakura's head snapped back up. She was alone in the shower, her face burning and her body blushing. She couldn't believe she imagined all that!

"You alright in there?"

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. Sakura turned off the water and quickly dried herself up. She stepped out of the bathroom and tried to pass Syaoran, who was still standing at the door waiting for her five minutes after she got out of her shower.

He seized her arm and pulled her back to him. His eyes were concerned as he stared at her. "Did something happen in there?"

Her hand peeled his hand away. "I was daydreaming. Sorry, it took so long."

"I thought I heard you crying."

"I wasn't."

He grabbed her hand. "Let's go have breakfast downstairs. The stuffed animal ate already. I made sure of that."

Sakura looked over at Kero, whose eyes were still glued to the television.

"We can bring him another meal. Let's go. I need to talk to you." He dragged her out onto the street. Just across the street from his apartment building was Marcy's Diner, 'guaranteed to serve only fresh, local, sustainable dishes.'

The two of them took a seat in a booth. The tension started building up as Sakura got fidgety and Syaoran kept letting his eyes wander about. Neither one could make eye contact with the other, which made it harder to strike a casual conversation.

"Sakura, I'm sorry about last night," Syaoran said. "I warned you not to come with me. Your insistence is stronger than my resistance."

"Syaoran, instead of feeling sorry maybe you should change," Sakura said in exasperation. She frowned at him. "If you really want to prove to me you're sorry then stop going out there and committing felonies!"

Syaoran exhaled as he looked around in fear. "Look, it's not that easy."

"You're not doing this to make a living!"

"Oh, so that gives you the right to strip down in front of hundreds of men for money."

"I do what I have to."

"I still have my dignity preserved," Syaoran stated proudly, hand sprawled across his chest. "What do you have to show for your art?"

She shook her head at him in dismay. "It's wrong, Syaoran. What we both do is morally wrong, but what you do is also unlawful." Her head tilted to the side as she gazed at him. "What happened to you, Syaoran? What took you out of school and brought you down to this level?"

"Life," he grunted, looking at the area above her head. He sighed, raking a stressed hand through his messy hair. She could tell he was reminiscing. "After I finished school I did everything the elders and my mother wanted of me. I got my BS at Harvard and took a job at the family company back home. Nothing I did pleased them. I realized I was being treated like a dog, running around them whenever they beckoned. There was no future and there was no love. I left and came back to America where I met Drake."

"These heists, are they as fulfilling as family?"

"There only satisfying. They will never be fulfilling."

"Syaoran leave them. Go back to your old life."

"You don't understand!"

"I do! You don't know how much I wish to have my family back together. Family is important, Syaoran, no matter what you think. No matter how hard it gets, family is always number one."

"Sakura…"

"If you love me you'll give your life of thrills up. I don't want you walking into danger again!"

"Please, Sakura. Don't wish that of me. Don't link my love with my life."

"Then, I suppose I'm still not a part of your life," she whispered, tears falling down her face.

Syaoran got up from his seat and slid into the bench next to her. He wrapped his arms about her and pulled her against him in a warm hug. "No, you are more important to me than life. That's why… I want you to marry me."

Sakura sniffed, tucking her head under his chin. "After college, okay?"

"Tomorrow."

"Syaoran," Sakura groaned. "I will not rush things out of convenience for me."

"This doesn't have to be a marriage of convenience and security, Sakura. We're getting married because we're madly in love with each other. We can't wait anymore."

Sakura reached up and kissed his cheek. "No, Syaoran."

"You're saying 'no,'" he whispered in pain.

She pulled his head down again and kissed his mouth. "No," she said against his lips. This time, he got the picture.


	5. Old Acquaintances and Help

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 5: Old Acquaintances and Help **

"Syaoran, you are not to tell her anything about Chic Galleria!"

The man laughed at her red face.

"The story is we met each other at the bus stop on our way to school."

"That sounds so fake," he spoke in a low drawl.

"It will have to do!"

"What do I get for all my troubles?"

Sakura sighed. "What do you want this time?"

Syaoran got up from his chair and walked over to the stereo and hit the power button. "You can do the Foxy Trot for me, Missy."

"Excuse me? I do not do one man shows!" She blushed at this.

"Strip for me," he ordered once more. The music was turned up. J.T.'s "Sexy Back" tore through the room at maximum volume. Syaoran waited patiently, eyes glinting as he watched her face glow from pink to ruby.

"Come on, Hot Stuff! Show me what you got!" He cheered, seating himself down in his chair again.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Slowly, she started tapping her feet to the beat of the music, closing her eyes in deep concentration. Syaoran studied her in fascination. She had done this dance so many times; she was now prone to it. Swaying her perfect hips to follow the tempo, raising her arms to reveal her flawless flesh to the open world.

In slow motion, her shirt came off as she swayed in the air, her dark eyes looking at every corner of the room, but his. Her tank top still covered her stomach, but he could see her belly button once in a while whenever she pushed herself up and came down again.

Her fingers fiddled with the belt around her jeans. The silver latch came undone and her fly opened for her agile fingers. Still not looking at him, her pants fell and he could see her pink panties now. Her creamy legs went on forever his eyes noticed as they dragged from hips to toes.

Syaoran slammed his fist onto the power button once more as he breathed a lungful of oxygen. Running over to the stereo was like running a marathon for him. His heart was beating so furiously he thought it was going to rip out of his chest.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, walking up to him.

"Stay back, Sakura. I don't want to do something I know I'll regret," he panted.

Sakura balked. She grabbed for a robe hanging on her door and wrapped it around herself. "There, Syaoran. Much better now, Eh?"

Syaoran looked up. "Yeah, thanks."

"You asked for it," she said, bantering softly. She really didn't mind what he said he would regret doing. She would have encouraged him if Kero wasn't just in the next room playing "Dungeons and Dragons."

The door bell rang, breaking through both their raging thoughts.

"I better go get that." Sakura secured her robe and walked out of the bedroom. She went to answer the door.

A black, shinny eye was a millimeter from her face the moment she opened the door. At first, Sakura was confused, but then the confusion vanished and was replaced with a joyous grin. A mass of dark violet curls and the scent of lavender reached Sakura's jaunty senses.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried, throwing her lithe body against her best friend. "You're here! You're finally here!"

Tomoyo dropped her video camera to her side as she held onto Sakura as well. "Sakura-chan," she said gently. "I've missed you so much."

Syaoran stepped out of the bedroom, leaning against the door frame and watching the two. Finally, Tomoyo noticed him. She ran up to him, sticking her camera in his face causing his smile to fade. He was staring at the red light blinking next to the dark hole that was the lens. His eyes widened in horror as Tomoyo started babbling. "Sakura is in her bathroom robe, looking ravished, but her male participant, Li-san, is still fully dressed. What does he have to say for himself?"

Syaoran clamped his hands over his ears and ran into the bathroom to take cover. Tomoyo didn't chase after him, only flipped her camera on Kero, who had yet to notice her arrival. "The great guardian beast, protector of our favorite heroine, sits in utter concentration over… Dungeons and Dragons? Kero-san, I bought you cup cakes from the airport!"

Kero turned his head to the camera. Hearts throbbed in his eyes as he screamed, "Tomoyo-chan. I love you!"

Sakura laughed. Tomoyo, the pale beauty, looked up with a smile of adoration for Sakura. Violet eyes and emerald eyes spoke worlds to one another. The gaps of their lives were filled up when they saw each other once more after eleven grueling months.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She stood in the terminal with her red suitcase in one hand and her black purse in the other. He was late picking her up, so she had to rummage through her purse for her cell.

"Meilin," her cousin's voice spoke behind her.

Meilin spun on her flip-flops, pigtails flapping in the air. "Xiaolang!" Boy was she glad to see him. "What's the hold up?" She questioned, her brows furrowed in annoyance. "You ask for my help, but arrive fifteen minutes late when help shows up."

"Sorry, Meilin. I had to take care of some things before getting here."

"No excuses! Haven't seen you in over a year! Don't give me that guilty look! You're mother is worried sick about you."

Syaoran rolled his eyes at her. "Like she ever is. She's just upset I'm no longer controlled by her iron will."

"You're wrong about her!"

Syaoran took her bag for her and beckoned her to follow him. "Why do you have to always be on her side anyway? It's not like she treats you any better than the rest of us."

"She only means well, Xiaolang. It's because you hate her that you won't return home and start working for the company."

"That's not the reason anymore. It's all about Sakura, now."

Meilin touched his shoulder. "You can bring her back home and wed her the proper way."

"You're helping me aren't you? I hope you didn't come here to screw up my plans."

Meilin's hand dropped to her side, acknowledging Syaoran's willpower. "So when are we leaving for the next flight?"

"Tomorrow."

"I need my sleep, Xiaolang!" Meilin complained. "Have you ever heard of jet lag?"

Syaoran led her to the rental parked outside the terminal. He plopped her bag in the trunk and opened the passenger side door for her. "Yes, but it never has any effect on you."

Meilin grunted as she landed heavily in her seat.

"You know, Xiaolang… I'm glad Sakura came along and grabbed you when we were kids. I don't think I could stand being married to you."

"She and I are destined for one another."

"Destined or not, I still think what you're doing is wrong."

Syaoran paid more attention to the road than to her as he drove.

"I mean this is a bad idea. What if she hates you for this?"

A long silence settled around them.

"No," Syaoran said.

"No? Look, here, if I were in Sakura's position I would break up with you instantly."

"I called you because you're the last person I trust, who has the surname Li. I didn't even ask any of my sisters if you haven't noticed."

Meilin sighed. "I'm doing this for Sakura, then. And also for you because I pity you."

"Pity… Me?" He glanced at her peculiarly.

"You got rejected. Must have been a mighty blow to your ego… A beautiful man like you shot down…" Meilin glanced up at him slyly. She noticed how his hands tensed around the steering wheel. A low growl erupted inside his throat.

"It's okay, Syaoran," she said, jerking as Syaoran pulled the car over at a meter. "I'm sure a much lovelier man will have Sakura."

"What the hell are you saying?!" He roared, slamming his car door.

Hurried footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs of the apartment complex. Meilin looked up to see, Sakura burst out of the entry gate.

"Meilin-chan!"

"Kinomoto-san!"

Sakura grabbed Meilin by the arms and the two girls spun around. "How goes everything?" Sakura asked, breathless from all the spinning. Tomoyo Daidouji walked up from behind Sakura and waved at Meilin.

"Daidouji-san's here, too. It's like a Card Captor Sakura reunion!"

"Yeah, Kero's upstairs watching Syaoran's T.V."

"The Stuffed Animal?!" Meilin cried, trying hard not to laugh.

Sakura turned to Syaoran timidly. "What is it Sakura?" he asked.

"Kero-chan raided your fridge again while Tomoyo and I were doing a little catching up."

"He finds some way to get in there even when I'm looking. There's no surprise," Syaoran said, shrugging at Sakura. "It's not a problem at all."


	6. One Awkward Marriage

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 6: One Awkward Marriage**

On the flight, Meilin refused to sit with anyone, but Sakura. Syaoran tried to protest because he wanted to be with his girlfriend the whole ride, but with the look Meilin gave him he had to back off. She was telling him that if he wanted to marry Sakura, he'd better keep his mouth shut and let her have a bachelorette party on the plane with Sakura.

"If you don't want me to spill the beans, you better just take that single seat in the middle," she warned him.

Sakura watched Syaoran's horrified face with mouth and eyes smiling. "What's the big secret?"

Meilin grabbed Sakura's bag and tossed it into the compartment above their heads. "Oh, nothing for you to worry your little head over."

Syaoran stepped closer to Sakura and tenderly brushed her bangs back with his soft hands. "If you need anything, please, just call me."

Meilin rolled her eyes. "They have flight attendants you know."

"I was just saying…"

"You can stop saying and just get in your seat." Meilin said with a lift of her chin. She grabbed Sakura by the elbow and shoved the girl into the seat by the window as if to separate her from Syaoran. Syaoran sighed in defeat and just gave her the right of way.

Sakura watched Syaoran in concern. "Meilin-chan, don't you think you were being a bit mean to your cousin?"

"Not at all!" Meilin cried.

"Why are you so mad at him? Did he do something wrong to you?"

Meilin turned in her seat to face Sakura. "Let's just drop it and start making plans. It was so nice of you to come with me to Las Vegas, Kinomoto-san. It's great to have a regular show me around the state."

"Iee, Meilin-chan! The only thing I know about Vegas is that they have a lot of bright lights, bars, and casinos."

"Really?! Sounds like fun! We should just go bar hopping or something without Syaoran and meet some hunks."

"We're not staying long. I have to get cranking with school once I get back. No drinks for me. Got to keep the wheels and the cogs in my brain grinding and alcohol does just the opposite you know."

Meilin wailed. "Don't you understand, this is a chance for freedom?! AH! Kinomoto-san! AH!"

A young flight attendant came up to Meilin's side and gave the girl's pillow a good pat. "If you lean back," she said, "the ride will be less scary."

"I'm not scared!"

Meilin thought her mind was going to explode. She really couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down. Keeping a secret this big was the hardest thing she ever did in her life. Keeping a secret that can possibly change one of her good friend's life was mind-numbingly impossible for her to do without going insane. Maybe it was a mistake to be sitting next to Sakura Kinomoto. Meilin had to bite her tongue the whole flight to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs.

By the time they landed, she was completely burnt out.

"Meilin-chan…" Sakura whispered. "You don't look so well."

"Oh, whatever to you mean? I'm fine!"

Today was the day, Syaoran thought as he walked towards them carrying all their bags. The two women were sitting in the hard seats by the phone booths. Sakura looked excited, while Meilin looked like she'd been slapped by some invisible hand. She could not even bring herself to look at the super energetic girl who tagged along with them.

In reality, Meilin didn't want to be in Vegas. It was really all part of Syaoran's plan to drag her along and pretend it was some field trip.

"Syaoran, Meilin-chan looks really sick. Should we do something for her?"

"Didn't I say I was fine?!" Meilin screamed. She was giving Sakura her scary face, canines glinting and eyes black holes. People turned there heads to stare.

"You see, Sakura?" Syaoran laughed. "You shouldn't bug her about it. She's been flying back and forth too much that's all."

Meilin laughed, politely covering her hand over her mouth. "Yes to enjoy America as much as I can I plan to go everywhere."

"Well, in that case, I need to run to the ladies room for a moment. Do you mind?"

Syaoran smiled sweetly. "No. Go right ahead."

Meilin and Syaoran watched her sprint towards the signs.

"Xiaolang, you have to do this tonight. I don't think I can hold up this façade anymore. It's mentally and physically draining."

Kero's head slowly peaked out of Syaoran's jacket flap. "She's quite right. It might slip if you wait."

Syaoran turned his head up to look through the glass ceiling at the flying airplanes. He closed his eyes, lines creasing at the bridge of his nose. "I'm not waiting. We do this tonight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had dinner at Excalibur, a pretty fancy buffet with a couple of round tables to sit at. It was then, that Sakura planned out the activities, like the magic shows, the visits to the casinos, the animal shows, and the theatrical works. Sakura was excited as she walked out of the buffet between Meilin and Syaoran. Syaoran loved it; he settled his hand over her head and whispered, "What about a strip club? They have lots of those here."

Sakura whipped her palm into his chest, which never seemed to faze him at all, but she still did it anyway. She did it again, genuinely angry at the look of amusement on Syaoran's face.

"Ouch," he joked. He grabbed her offending hand and kissed the knuckles affectionately. Chivalry never dies as long as he's alive.

"How about drinks, then?"

Sakura's head shot up and she glanced at Meilin to see her reaction to Syaoran's suggestion. "Meilin-chan wants to meet guys. Didn't you say you wanted to go bar hopping?"

"Yes, but…"

"But, nothing. You've looked so down since the moment we arrived. I'll help you find a fun-loving man. You just follow me," she said cheerfully.

Syaoran grabbed Sakura by the back of her shirt before she could take another step. "I'm not taking you to a bar to have you abandon me. You are staying close to my side."

Meilin sighed. "It must be nice to have such a caring lover, Kinomoto-san. Am I right?"

Syaoran turned on Meilin, eyes gleaming wickedly. "I don't trust men in this area. You stay near Sakura and me as well."

"Geez! Way to ruin my fun night!" Meilin cried in outrage. She stuck her tongue out at him.

They went into the closest pub with Meilin in the lead. She entered as if she were the Empress of China with sass and class in tow.

"This is a nice place to hang out at," said the girl with the black pigtails. Her head swiveled one way and then the other as she eyed the people and every corner of the bar.

"More like creepy," Sakura muttered under her breath, noticing how the men in the room looked at Meilin with probably dirty thoughts in their heads. Sakura was certainly glad to have Syaoran around her. He wouldn't let anyone bother her or Meilin.

"Not all men at a bar are that bad, Xiaolang," Meilin reassured him, sensing the way Syaoran was throwing dirty looks at anyone whose focus was on them.

"Yeah, Syaoran. We probably look like aliens from their point of view," Sakura whispered, soft laughter joining her voice.

Syaoran pulled her into him, embracing her fully. "You're the prettiest alien here, then."

"I resent that!" Meilin huffed.

"May I get you lovely folks something to drink?" The bartender, a middle-aged fake blonde, asked, the moment the three of them were seated by the counter.

"Give me the strongest thing you got."

"Water, please!"

Meilin and Syaoran both looked at her as if she had two heads.

"I'll share a bottle of wine with the lady," Syaoran amended for Sakura. "Wine won't hurt will it Sakura?"

"No, I guess not."

Meilin rubbed her temple with two fingers. "Heineken for me."

The bartender leaned forward after setting their drinks down. "Watch your backs when you leave. Especially you, Sweet Cheeks," she whispered to Sakura in a motherly fashion.

Sakura nodded dumbly as she watched the woman move to the other end of the bar.

"Hey, look!" Meilin started excitedly at the sound of Sakura's voice.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Meilin-chan, that cute guy over there is looking you over."

Indeed the man was cute. He had a crew cut and whiskers under his chin. However, Meilin was never into men hard on whisky. "Eh, he's not my type."

"Meilin-chan…"

"Look at the lady, three seats down from him. I think she's looking at you, Kinomoto-san."

Sakura turned red. "HOEEEE?! I don't go that way!"

Meilin toppled over her seat and started rolling around the floor in laughter.

"I'll bet you she's looking at me," Syaoran interrupted them calmly over his drink.

Meilin got up and squished her head against his. "Is that so, Mr. Hot Shot?"

"What's your wager?" He challenged.

Meilin grabbed Sakura by the shoulder and slammed the girl into Syaoran. "Kinomoto-san's virginity."

"Meilin-chan!" Sakura screamed, waving her hands at her friend. "That is not something for you to wager!"

Syaoran sighed, his arms circling Sakura's waist. Sakura looked up at him curiously. "She's right, Meilin. That isn't something for you to do with." Syaoran squeezed her before releasing her again. His eyes twinkled as he looked down at Sakura. "Besides, I refuse to have sex with a stripper."

"Fine!" Meilin grabbed Sakura. "We're going to pretend to go to the bathroom. If you lose, you're coming to visit your mother in Hong Kong."

"Deal. If you lose, you won't bug me about it anymore."

Meilin dragged Sakura out of her stool. They hid in the shadows just before the entry to the ladies' room.

"Look, Meilin-chan, that lady is making her way towards Syaoran."

Meilin grimaced. She already lost.

The girls watched. Meilin winced as Sakura squeezed her friend's hand in an atrocious grip. She didn't let it bother her too much because just watching Sakura go through her quiet, jealous bout was fun enough.

The female who had been, in fact, eyeing Syaoran like some kind of scrumptious cake indeed made her way towards the man slowly. She swayed her hips on her way there, hoping that Syaoran would just look up once.

"Why that promiscuous hussy!" Sakura burst. Meilin calmed the girl and told her to keep watching silently.

The woman leaned over Syaoran and whispered something in his ear. Finally Syaoran turned to her with a warm smile. Sakura thought her heart was going to stop beating. He only ever smiled for her. Syaoran's smile turned vicious almost in an instant. Sakura leaned forward to catch the movement of his soft lips, to read what he was saying. Sakura couldn't make out his words, though, but she knew it irked the woman because the next thing she did was try to back hand Syaoran in the face. Syaoran grabbed her by the wrist and threw her arm aside. "Don't touch me," he warned her. She got up and scrambled out the door in humiliation.

Meilin stood from her crouched position. "You're one lucky girl, Kinomoto-san. Any other man would have jumped that girl and forget about their lover back home."

Sakura was still on her knees, her face in her hands.

Meilin's hand brushed Sakura's hair back. "What's the matter?"

"Meilin-chan, I doubted Syaoran for a minute."

"Oh, we all do that sometimes."

"No, but I always believed in him. My faith in him has never wavered since I've met him again. Sure, I don't like what he does with Drake and his friends, but I know Syaoran. I know he's really a good person, deep down inside. I'm ashamed I doubted him."

Meilin helped the girl up on her feet. "I envy the devotion and love the both of you share…" Meilin laced her fingers with Sakura's and grinned at her. "Now, go clean up, while I try to scrape up whatever humility Xiaolang's going to offer me."

Sakura rubbed her tired eyes. "Thank you, Meilin-chan."

Meilin threw herself into the seat that Sakura had been sitting in and gave her cousin the darkest look she could muster. "I've changed my mind. Maybe it is because I care about you or maybe it's because I care about Sakura, too, but I don't care." Meilin seized Syaoran by the collar and passed her hand through his opened jacket.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Syaoran demanded.

Meilin threw her hand into the pocket inside his jacket only to have her demanding fingers bitten by Kero's sharp fangs.

"Stop it!' Kero hissed as he poked his head out of Syaoran's jacket.

"Meilin, you can't have a change of heart like this."

"She loves you! You're going to ruin everything!"

Kero pressed a small package into Syaoran's palm. "It must be done or else she will live a very sad life. Neither one of us can protect her when she's at that place."

Meilin sighed in defeat. "One more time, Syaoran. You're really going through with this?"

Syaoran nodded as he poured the contents that Kero gave him, into Sakura's wine glass.

Meilin turned on Kero, "You're going to let him do this."

"Yes, because I want her to be safe."

"What about her happiness? Her trust in the both of you?"

"It doesn't matter," Syaoran said, "she can hate me, but this is for her own good."

"Yeah!" Kero smiled. "I'll just stay with the brat if she kicks me out!"

Syaoran and Meilin's silence left Kero distraught. "Look, her love for the both of you won't just vanish. Even if she loses it over all this, I think I know her well enough to say, she won't be mad at you forever."

Syaoran gave Kero a light pat on the head. "For a stuffed animal, you're not so bad."

Kero twitched in annoyance.

"Just take care of her," Meilin said, looking up at the two of them. "I know. I'm just wasting my breath saying it, but it makes me feel better about going through with this."

Sakura ran out of the bathroom, panting. "Wow, you guys!" Her eyes were glittering green as she looked at them. "You wouldn't believe what just happened in the bathroom." Sakura drew out a card from her pocket. It was Hope.

"Hope said I'll be fine and that I shouldn't worry about it anymore, Meilin-chan," Sakura spoke excitedly. She tapped the card. "She also said that Meilin-chan, Syaoran, and Kero-chan will look after me."

Meilin placed a comfortable hand over Sakura's. "You must be thirsty after all that running."

Syaoran stood as he pushed a wine glass toward Sakura. "Here, have a drink."

"One wouldn't hurt!" Sakura cried energetically. She downed the drink and her eyes began to droop. "More!"

Syaoran poured her another glass. She was already drunk after her third!

Sakura draped herself over Syaoran's body. Meilin grabbed Kero to save him from being squashed by his mistress. Her arms twined around his neck as her head fell against his shoulder. "Meilin-chan's cousin is so beautiful. If he was actually a girl, guys would trip over each other just to have him."

Meilin held her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter.

"He could be a model and wear pretty dresses designed by Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura droned on.

Syaoran murmured into Sakura's hair. "Enough, Sakura. You're killing Meilin."

Both Kero and Meilin were on the floor, trying so hard to keep straight faces those veins in their necks started pulsing. They were trying so much to keep their hahahas to themselves, their eyes started watering. Sakura turned her head to the floor.

"I see," she said quietly. "They think I'm joking."

"Oh, Kinomoto-san, seeing you like this is almost rewarding," Meilin choked as she got up on her knees and scooped Kero in one hand.

"I'm always a laughing stock," Sakura pouted.

Syaoran lifted her chin to look at her directly in the eyes. The girl's eyes rolled into the back of her head as her eyelids drooped completely closed. She drew her head back and allowed Syaoran to place warm kisses to the skin of her collar.

His hand was coming up to hold her in an unmentionable place, but Meilin's strong grip against his arm halted him. Syaoran's eyes flew opened to meet her serious and furious gaze. "Don't, Syaoran. You're a bit tipsy, so I won't blame you this time."

Syaoran grunted an apology and stood up with a protesting Sakura in his arms. "Why'd you stop, Syaoran? Don't you love me?"

"Yes and to prove it to you I'm going to marry you."

Sakura giggled. "Oh, that sounds fabulous." Syaoran led her out of the bar.

"You know," Kero whispered to Meilin as they followed the two out. "Sakura would never say that if she was sober."

"Right." Meilin said, watching Syaoran and Sakura closely.

"What you did back there was very bold."

"I'm a Li, it's in the bloodline."

"I have a feeling you Lis are a lot stronger than I thought you were."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Syaoran wanted a real priest, not some qualified joke wearing a costume. Marriage was supposed to be the consummation of love between two people, but here he was with a drunken girl hanging on his arms begging him to kiss her. It wasn't like Syaoran to mull over things, yet he had always dreamed that his wedding with Sakura would be beautiful. They would say their vows and conceal it with a sounding kiss.

Sakura tugged on Syaoran's arm, but Syaoran ignored her as he kept his eyes forward to stare at the priest, who was still reading the bible seriously. It was for sure that Syaoran was as serious as the religious man about loving Sakura in sickness and health. She was his life and he would do anything and everything for her. He would repeat all the vows he ever made to her just to keep him clean from all the guilt.

Syaoran slipped a diamond ring on Sakura's left hand. Sakura shakily slipped a silver band in his finger. "Syaoran also has beautiful hands," she laughed.

Syaoran stared into Sakura's dizzied gaze, whispering, "With this ring I wed thee, Sakura. I promise forever to take care of you, love you, and cherish you no matter how much you're going to hate me."

The priest snapped his book shut and looked directly at Syaoran. "Kiss her, now."

Syaoran gave Sakura a chaste kiss on the mouth and the girl hiccupped. "Excuse me," she said. "What was that? You call that a kiss?! That's the worst you've ever done!"

Syaoran shook his head at her. "When you're sober, I'll kiss you properly."

Sakura slid to the floor, pushing him away. "Syaoran, used to love me. He really kissed me and showed me he loved me!" She hiccupped.

Syaoran rolled his eyes and scooped her up in his arms, but she kept trying to shove his comforting hands away.

"These hiccups can only be cured by Syaoran's kiss!" She wailed.

Syaoran coincided to her cries and finally kissed her.

The priest stepped down from the dais and passed the married couple. He moved toward Meilin sitting on a bench with a strange, yellow doll in her arms. Meilin was shaking her head at Syaoran's inappropriate reaction to Sakura's drunken whining fits.

"Aren't you a little old for dolls?"

Meilin laughed nervously. "Yeah, that's what everyone tells me."

"Hmmmm. Were you forced to come here to witness this? All of it seems so one-sided. Usually I get couples who are so drunk, they collapse after the ceremony."

"The groom knows what he is doing, but the bride hasn't a clue," Meilin confessed.

"I see. So this is true love?"

"It is!"

The priest smiled. "That's a first."

Meilin glared at him. "Father, why do you bring people together in matrimony?"

"To bring together people who want to be together whether they are drunk or not is my job. Sometimes these marriages I play the holy figure in, only last a couple of hours, but there's really nothing I can do to separate them if they want to be together. Also, because I get paid well!"

Meilin collapsed onto the floor. She got up and rubbed her head. "Everything's about money to Sakura, too." Meilin's face became serious again. "That's why Sakura has to marry Xiaolang."

The priest smiled at her and stretched out his hand. "Since you're also a part of all this with such a rich cousin and all, do you mind?" He wiggled his fingers at her. "Just a small tip for my services."

"Is money all you think about?!" Meilin screeched. She slammed a ten into his outstretched fingers as she nagged at him continuously. Sakura and Syaoran continued smooching on the floor, ignoring the shouting coming from Meilin.

* * *

Finally, it's done, done, done. I've been smiling so much my face hurts. Okay, I want to share an idea that just came to mind. Earlier, in the author's notes of the first chapter I mentioned dropping the third book of the Crash Course, only because it was going to be about Yukito and the whole theme of that had a poor climax to it, hence I dropped the idea. On the other hand, I kept Tomoyo's story because I feel her story, though unhappy, teaches us that happiness comes in all shapes and sizes, though it takes a whole lot of change and a whole lot of time to learn this. To the point; after finishing this chapter (half way point, people!) I kind of got this idea of Meilin being another fantastic heroine. Of course there's going to be less romance and more on the value of redemption and redemption itself.

It's kind of sad how so many people hate her and find her snobbish and all that. I just want to do something that's off to the side and much deeper. Like it's Meilin's time in the lime light, so to speak. What do you think? Should I go for book 3? Actually, I would love to get some ideas and opinions out of the readers of The Crash Course Series. Or everyone can review my second book and then give me ideas on Meilin's story, which should be out before September because I haven't got much on my mind right. I do have plenty of works on my plate right now. My other stories are also waiting for me. I'm more of a spontaneous writer, so I don't really do a good job planning. Ideas come and go. Reviews very much appreciated. Thanks, folks!

-MistyWing


	7. Her Change of ways

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 7: Her Change of ways**

A searing pain, similar to a spike being pierced through the skull numbed every muscle in Sakura's body as she slowly pulled herself out of unconsciousness.

"Ite…" She moaned, moving her head to the side.

Gentle fingers tilted her head up again. A cold, damp cloth was placed over her forehead. It only did a little to ease the pain that felt like the aftermath of having something cracked over one's head.

"I was hoping you would sleep most of it off on your own. I'm sorry. I couldn't cast another one of those sleep spells on you."

"Why?" She moaned, touching the damp cloth over her head.

Syaoran leaned over her and stared at her clenched shut eyes. "I'm a little powerless myself after handling your roughness last night."

Sakura opened her eyes, focusing on Syaoran's wavering face. She was looking up at a roughed up Syaoran. "HOEEE!!!! What happened to you?!" She cried. "Ieeee!!!" Sakura paused and held her head between her hands.

"Whatever happened to me isn't as bad as what's happening to you," Syaoran assured her. "You were just trying to wrestle me into bed with you."

At the blush creeping up her cheeks Syaoran laughed. "Don't worry, Sakura. Even when you were drunk, you were still very modest. You were trying to wrestle me into bed because you thought I was drunk, too and you were just being a worry wart."

"Oh."

"But I wanted to make sure you slept well, so I stayed up to watch over you," he said, placing his head gently into her lap. "I would like to sleep, now."

Sakura took off the cloth and ran her left hand through his soft, brown hair. Each lock slipped gracefully out of her warm fingers. As she touched him she thought she was imagining the weight on her finger and the sparkle of something between Syaoran's hairs. She slowly took her hand out of his hair, eyes locked on the enormous white rock glittering on her finger.

"Syaoran, did you propose to me again last night?"

Syaoran raised his head as he spoke. "Actually, we got married last night."

His hand caught hers and now she saw the shinny silver band around his wedding finger.

"We're finally married."

"HOEEEEE!!!!"

Meilin and Kero pounded through the door to their adjoining room. Who knows why they didn't barge in after the first "HOEEE?"

Kero hovered in the air nervously. "Now, look Sakura, this brat isn't the only one to blame. He might have been the one to come up with the idea, but Meilin and I agreed to help him out. That was why I knew he spiked your drink…"

"You what?!" Sakura turned her rage on Syaoran again.

"Sakura, don't be mad at Syaoran. He really cares about you, so…" Meilin said.

Sakura clenched her blankets between her fists. "I can't believe this. I can't believe… Syaoran…"

Syaoran touched her cheek, but she flinched out of his way. "Don't touch me."

"Sakura…" The three of them called out to her.

"Get out. Everyone get out."

All of them left her alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Home. It was a word that meant family, love, and hope to Sakura. It was her haven and her reason for the grueling semesters of school and the settlement in the outrageous settings of work. It used to be the place to run to when she had no place to go. It used to be the place to return to when she felt lonely and suppressed.

Now, it was an ocean away. Touya, Otou-san, Yue, and Yukito were all an ocean away. She thought to settle in a temporary home of America for the four years of college and come to peace with herself and her life, but none of it was truly working out. She was at a dead end. It was a miracle that she still had her sanity intact. The loneliness and the pain would finally hit home, now.

"You hurt everyone around you when you keep things to yourself," Kero snapped at her almost three days after they returned from Vegas and she took to ignoring him. "It has never been you, you, you, you know. I was always here! When did I ever become chopped liver to you?!"

Sakura reached out to embrace her friend, whom she loved so much even though he was a living, breathing, talking stuffed animal. She whispered his name and nuzzled his head.

"You're not really mad at the brat," Kero stated. He was telling her this, not suggesting it. "You're happy you're married to him, just not happy about how it happened."

"As if," she sniffed.

"If you aren't happy, then why do you keep that ring on? It should mean nothing to you."

She looked at her hand. She looked at the ring and stared long and hard at it. "Kero-chan… If anything, I love him even more."

"You see, Sakura? That's not really possible." His eyebrows drawn and arms crossed he gave a sagely nod. "The extent of your love for him reached its limit a long time ago. I never said anything about it, but after you sealed Void, you and the geek created an eternal bond."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean no matter what happens you two could never be separated."

"How would you know?"

"It's one of those feelings a guardian has when his master has reached a stage in life you know?'

"Yue-san…"

"Yeah, he felt it, too."

Sakura sighed, flashing him her radiant smile. A light blush hinted her joy.

"Syaoran and I were destined to meet up again."

"Yeah, so this silly, earthly contract people in this century have couples sign can be burnt to a crisp because it has absolutely nothing to do with your inseparable bond."

Sakura and Kero turned their heads to the door at the sound of tapping.

"Come in," they chirped together.

"Glad you two are on talking terms again," Tomoyo said as she stepped into the room, smiling at them. "I've got a couple of phone calls today for you Sakura. '1. Sakura, I'm very sorry, but I do not regret what I've done. 2. I will never stop loving and caring for you. 3. You are my world my life, my heart, my reason to breathe!'"

"Um, Tomoyo-chan, Syaoran would never leave that kind of a mushy message for me."

"You're right. I made up the third one, but there's about twenty-eight more since yesterday that I can read to you," Tomoyo laughed, taking out a stack of note cards. "Some of them are prêt-ty long if you ask me."

Sakura waved her hands enthusiastically. "Not necessary! I understand what I need to do, now."

Tomoyo's violet eyes widened. "You do?"

"Yes. I've forgotten about everyone I've ever cared about and everyone who has ever cared about me. I've always had people who wanted to help me, but I slapped their helping hands away."

Tomoyo covered her mouth after a gasp escaped her trembling lips. Never ever would her Sakura slap anyone.

Sakura laughed aloud. "That was only a figure of speech. What I mean to say is, I am done hiding. I'm freeing myself from this day forward."

Tomoyo rushed over to her. "Don't force it!"

Sakura grasped her friend's hands and led her to a chair. "I don't have to. You see, I've been holding back a secret."

"We all have those," Tomoyo avowed bluntly.

"Well, you see…"

Sakura paused, so Kero stepped in, "You know Sakura, there's no rush to let it out."

"Tomoyo-chan, I'm a dancer!" Sakura blurted.

Tomoyo cheered. "I always thought you would make a beautiful ballerina! You always had the figure, stamina, and flexibility. Ever since the day you started gymnastics, I felt something else inside you, waiting to burst out. Has it finally sprout its beautiful wings and found a place on stage in—what's that really popular ballet—The Nutcracker!"

Sakura backed away a little, shrinking away in ignominy.

The light in Tomoyo's eyes disappeared. "What is it, Sakura?"

"I don't do that kind of dance."

"Okay. Ballroom dancing, ribbon dancing, tap dancing, cha-cha, tango?" Sakura shook her head with each dance mentioned.

"Well?" Tomoyo squeaked.

"Exotic."

"Wha-what?"

"I'm a stripper."

The silence was almost too painful for Sakura to bear. She tried to make a run for it, but Tomoyo blocked her only way out.

The girl threw her arms out and gripped Sakura's shoulders. Gently Tomoyo pulled her into a tight hug. Sakura shuddered under her friend's arms. It was okay now because Tomoyo understood her.

She was ready. Pulling on her sweater and jeans, she was ready to run to school, free-spirited and jolly.

She was already making her way up the stair case so pumped up; she didn't bother waiting for the elevators. It was her time and her place and she had a long ways to go. She was already late for class, but who cared? The professors don't care, the students don't care, and the animals don't care. She was strong enough with Tomoyo, Kero, Meilin, and Syaoran around; stronger yet, when she would return to her hometown and embrace everything that was there.

A low whistle ahead of her stopped Sakura in her tracks. She looked up from her quickening feet to meet three third years on the top steps. She stopped at the bottom and took a step back as she looked up at them.

"Hey, you _are_ that girl from the strip club," the one in the middle said.

Sakura firmly pressed her lips together. "And what are you going to do about? It's not like we're not on school property. I can report you to the Dean if you try anything."

He grinned at her as he took a few steps down toward her. "Just wanted to see if you are as fun in real life. No—" A hand gripped the man's collar and he was pulled back to the top steps.

Sakura was already laughing when she saw Syaoran set the guy back on his feet between his two cronies. "I hope you weren't taunting my wife," Syaoran said softly.

"What? Wife?" He backed away a bit. "No, not really."

"Then, shoo," Syaoran said, waving his hand at them to scuttle away.

Syaoran waited for them to turn a corner before he turned his attention back to Sakura. "You okay?" He asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah, thank you, Syaoran."

The grim look on his face disappeared. "I was on my way out when I heard your voice. It didn't sound too happy, so I hope you didn't mind me just dropping by. I'll give you your space again." He was walking past her, but Sakura grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"Didn't I say thank you, Syaoran?"

"Is it a sincere thank you or are you saying it just because…"

He wasn't even looking at her as he spoke. It was aggravating her. "Of course it's a sincere thank you!"

"Shouldn't you be getting to class?"

"Shouldn't you be walking me to class?"

Syaoran's fingers graced the nape of her head. "Would you stop talking in circles? I have to be somewhere right now."

"When did I ever become second on your important to-do list?"

"Second?"

"Yeah! Are you hiding something?"

He chuckled. "You know what I do. There's nothing to hide."

"Syaoran, don't do it. Whatever you plan to do just drop it. Let's go have lunch together after my class ends."

"How about tomorrow?" He whispered, walking by again. "We'll have lunch tomorrow."

"Syaoran, I'm not really mad anymore!"

"Okay," he said with a wave of his hand.

"But if you walk out on me now I will be!"

He kept walking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Her body was warm all over when she stepped into her costume for the night. She was starting to even appreciate the wicked smiles that the girls were giving her.

Daisy was literally tripping over her feet when she stumbled towards Sakura excitedly. "He's on your right, Sakura!"

Sakura twirled her hair between her fingers. "Is he, now?"

"What do you mean by 'is he, now?' Yes, he is!"

Sakura stood fists clenched up in front of her. "Alright! It's time I showed him what I'm made of! It's time I showed him what I'm really capable of!"

Daisy's eyes were shinning proudly. "Wow, Sakura. You're very man about all this."

"Well, life is like a game of chance. Someone has to make a move or we'll be stuck in a stalemate forever."

"I don't really get it," Daisy said, laughing nervously.

Sakura's chin fell to her chest. "I don't know what I meant by that either," she mumbled. "But I know he can change too if I can."

Daisy bundled her young friend up in the circle of her arms. "I believe you can and you will."

"Thanks, Daisy."

"I'm going to miss having you around here, but you know what? I'm smiling just like the rest of the girls because business will go up for the rest of us!"

Sakura pushed away from her friend. "Well, so much for being like a sister to me!" She stuck her tongue out at Daisy.

Daisy threw her arm around Sakura's shoulder once more. "NOOOOO, Sakura… But, honestly, you're the second best thing next to Nicky that's ever happened to me. You're smile and vibrancy is something I'll miss dearly. My smile is different than the rest of theirs. See?" Daisy pointed to her own face. "I'm happy for you."

Sakura clung to Daisy's neck. "I'm going to visit you at your house as much as I can. Let's never lose touch."

"That means the world to me," Daisy sighed.

"Now, before we ruin our make-up with all the tears, let's kill those bastards tonight!" Daisy pulled Sakura up onto her feet and gave her young ward a good slap in the behind. "Go get'em, Girl!"

Rubbing her stinging butt, Sakura walked out on stage.

* * *

Hey! Chapter 7 was inspired by Avril Lavigne's "Home." I really love this song and I was listening to it when I was writing the chapter. So,, how was it? Read and review.

-Mistywing


	8. His Change of ways

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 8: His Change in Ways**

Syaoran touched his red, stinging cheek gingerly. The cool air did a number on his bruised face where she had left her burning mark.

"Had a fight with your girlfriend?" Julian asked offhandedly as they walked in their group formation to Chic Galleria for a night of fun.

"Rex, don't bug Wolf with his own problems," Drake said.

"Whatever," Julian muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Syaoran focused again on the pain in his left cheek.

_She ran up to him even as he stood silently at Sakura's apartment door. Tomoyo was coming back from her errand runs with a hand raised. Syaoran made no attempt to dodge Tomoyo's stinging slap across his face._

_"How dare you show up here?! After all you've done, this is about the worst!"_

_Syaoran's cool, flickering amber eyes met her relentless, raging violet eyes. _

_"I deserve that," he said, touching his numb cheek with his warm fingers. _

_"You deserved that years ago!"_

_"You should have done it when I married her without letting you know."_

_"Li-kun, you're an idiot! Do you think that matters at all?! Sakura has been suffering and crying because of you! I don't know why she should even care about you when you don't give a bone about what happens to her!"_

_Syaoran tried to open his mouth to speak and retort._

_Tomoyo cut him off. "These are her exact words to me," she screamed, suddenly fiddling with the zipper of her purse. She pulled out her camcorder and hit the play button for him._

_He continued to listen. 'Something is wrong. I know Syaoran is going to do something bad tonight, but he won't listen to me. It's like I'm nothing to him even though he's everything to me. He's grown distant and I think he's about to go through with something that's even worse than marrying me when I was drunk!' _

_Tomoyo turned it off abruptly and gave him a long, cold glare. "Just go! Go have fun wherever you go! Be happy! Who cares about you?!" She fumbled with Sakura's spare keys. She entered and slammed the door in his face without even glancing back at him._

"Yo, Syaoran!" Ely was shoving him in by the shoulders. Julian was waving his hands in front of his face. A few of the guys were hanging behind Syaoran silently staring at him with their quizzical looks.

"You spaced out there for a minute," said Ely.

"Probably fantasizing about how his girlfriend would look in the nude," Julian said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Syaoran slapped the blonde idiot's head. The rest of Drake's goons behind them snickered.

Drake led them into their usual corner, in the far end of the place. All of them took up ten tables. Some of the customers even made room for them as they piled in. Drake never brought everyone in, but this time he did. Even Pablo, who was usually sticking his perverted head into the girls' changing rooms or standing behind the bar and making men their drinks, stepped down from his post to greet Drake personally. Drake was obviously his favorite patron.

"What can I do you for, Sir," Pablo asked, throwing his dishtowel over his shoulder.

"Bring my men your fine girls."

A red-head came up to Syaoran, but he batted her away with a fling of his arm.

"Syaoran, just treat the lady nicely will you?" Drake demanded.

Her eyes fell to the ring on his finger. She moaned. "The married ones are always funner."

Ely and Julian now stepped in front of Syaoran as if to shield him from her. Well, actually they were just shielding her from him because Syaoran never listened to a word that Drake said when it came to women. Syaoran was very capable of creating a riot if he wanted to, first by swinging at one of Pablo's bar girls.

"It's 'more fun,' My Dear. Funner isn't a word," Ely corrected her.

Julian stepped forward, "If you come with me, Sweetheart, I'll screw you up so much, you're head will get dizzy with fun."

Her attention turned from Syaoran to Julian. Syaoran spat in disgust as he watched Julian throw the girl over his shoulder and ditch them.

"She has the attention span of a gold fish and he has the brain of a tapeworm," Syaoran muttered.

Ely held his round stomach and laughed. "Hey, he helped you out."

"I don't get it Ely. Why don't you do stuff like him?"

"Why don't you, Syaoran?" Ely shot back without missing a beat.

The rhythm changed and almost all heads turned to look up at the stage.

Syaoran held his breath as he watched Sakura step out in her trench coat and hat. She was doing that seductive dance that he had seen her do the first night he saw her. Something was different about her, though.

He watched her throw her hat out to the crowd before she even got near the pole. As that object distracted one side of the room she leapt off the stage and went towards Drake. Her eyes were dark in the colorful lights and it scared Syaoran. He made his way towards his boss, so that he was just two men apart from Drake.

He continued to watch in horror as Sakura jumped up onto Drake's table and danced in front of him. She thrust her body forward, wiggling her finger at Drake to unbutton her. Drake stood from his seat as he took his sweet time doing this.

Sakura heard Syaoran screaming behind her and completely ignored him, her smile twisted and her eyes shinning with lust for Drake.

Syaoran threw himself bodily forward, but fifteen of his teammates pushed him back. He was furious. His heart was tearing up inside of him as he watched Sakura twining herself around his boss. It wasn't right! She was his, now!

She was off the stage! She broke a rule! Sakura's heart was soaring as she saw the look on Drake's drunken face as he undid the last button. Her trench coat fell and she was…

The men gasped.

She was wearing a pink, modest dress designed by Tomoyo!

"Gotcha," she giggled. Sakura turned from the man and leapt off the table. She flew into the air over the heads of the men that were holding her Syaoran back. Syaoran stepped back and his arms were outstretched to catch her.

Time slowed as Sakura's pale arms circled around his neck. Her lips pressed hungrily against his. Even Syaoran was melting under her warm touch.

He groaned in protest when she pulled away. "That's it, Syaoran. You just felt something that I have felt all this time. How was it for you when all my attention was poured into a man that you serve?" Her penetrating glare left him stiff as he looked up at her. She took his face in both her hands. "We can change for the better!"

With that said, she broke away from him. Sakura did a floor routine on all the tables and ended with a perfect somersault back up on stage. The men clapped at the show. Sakura curtsied and saluted all the customers before hurrying off the stage. The rest of the night wasn't so boring anymore was Syaoran's last thought when Drake and the men started filing out. Syaoran followed suit, but took a detour at the last minute. He ran to the back alley where he was thrown out by Sakura and where he saved her not so many nights ago.

A woman, whom Syaoran recognized as the woman who always walked home with Sakura stood just at the metal door. She was leaning back against the door and looking up at the sky.

"Excuse me, where's Sakura?" Syaoran panted.

"Oh, you must be Syaoran," she said, smiling at him. "She just left."

Syaoran stepped forward. The woman reached out and pulled his face closer to hers. "You're cute," she whispered.

Syaoran waited patiently.

"You came a little too late, though. Sakura just left. She said something about it being too dangerous for a girl alone at night, so she left early." She released him.

"She's going to be fired at this rate."

The woman laughed lightly. "Oh dear, absolutely not! Let a woman at least leave with pride!

She quit, Syaoran. For you, I believe."

"For me?"

"To prove that she has the strength to go on her own."

"Oh."

The woman crossed her arms over her milky breasts. "But if you want my opinion, I rather know that you will go to her and protect her. She doesn't really want it, but we all know she needs it."

"Right." Syaoran was backing away now.

"Sakura was right about you. You are a man of very few words."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Daisy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Heavy panting and the pounding of feet against the pavement alerted Syaoran from his position. Crouched down in the bushes he could just see Drake and two other guys running towards them.

"Shit! We lost Brian!" Drake whispered as he gasped for breath. The two other men nearly toppled over Syaoran if he had not dodged them and pushed their arms away.

Drake was on his knees and fumbling with his gun. The man wagged his sweat drenched hair as he looked up at Syaoran. He grinned. "He should have just handed it to us. And now he's fucked everything up!"

Syaoran heard the gun click. "What are you talking about, Drake?"

"Brian tried to grab him, but he overpowered him and now Brian's lost."

"What the hell?" Syaoran stood up, but Drake pulled him back.

"Look, Wolf! Let me take care of this for good." Drake smiled at Syaoran.

Syaoran had never seen him like this. Drake was going insane through his rage. Weren't they just robbing the man who pulled over in his pick-up to change a flat tire? Weren't they just trying to nab some chump change for more dope? This wasn't even some kind of mighty heist where the dog eats the dog.

Syaoran pulled Drake by the shoulder. "Wait, what are you doing with that gun?"

Drake's finger trembled over the trigger. "You're either with me or sitting this one out."

"You never had to shoot anyone before. You don't have to do this." Syaoran thought his own words sounded all too familiar.

"He knocked Brian out and nearly broke my jaw!"

Syaoran noticed the trail of blood trickling down Drake's parted lips. "Wait! Put the gun down."

"No! I'm ending this before the cops get here."

Syaoran pushed his boss back into the bushes. "Why don't you sit tight and wait for Ely and Julian to come with the van. We can get away!"

Drake shoved Syaoran back and Syaoran landed on top of the two behind him. "Look, Syaoran, you've been a very good kid since the day you joined us. Don't be a shit head now okay?"

_What we both do is morally wrong…_

Syaoran stood up angrily as he watched the man hustle away. "You two better go."

"But Syaoran…" Ely and Julian both called out at the same time.

_But what you do is also unlawful._

"Listen you guys. If you don't want to get caught like me and Drake, then beat it."

Ely scrambled to his feet. "Drake's furious! Don't think for one minute he's not going to turn that gun on you and shoot—Syaoran!"

_We can change for the better!_

He was sprinting to where he heard Drake swearing at the man who had counterattacked them. Syaoran jumped onto the roof of the pick up and landed right in front of the unarmed man who was begging Drake to drop the gun. Syaoran moved his arms and legs and positioned himself defensively.

Drake's glare softened, but his resolve hadn't wavered one bit. "Come now, Wolf. What's going on?"

Syaoran glared right back at Drake. "I think you're making a grave mistake."

Drake straightened and waved his gun at the opened door of the pick up truck. "Look what he's done to Hog. Are you going to let him get away with this?"

Syaoran glanced back and saw the unconscious body right under the door.

"Why don't you check if he's alive?"

"Why don't you put your gun down?" Syaoran retorted.

The gun dangled on Drake's forefinger. "There."

Syaoran ran behind the door to check on Brian when he heard the resounding bang of a gun shot. The man desperately pleading for his life collapsed motionless against the asphalt. Syaoran's head swiveled to the sound of a cry coming from the back seat. His wide eyes switched from Drake's advancement towards the vehicle to the adolescent boy whimpering in the backseat. Syaoran's heart was thumping so loudly, it could have muffled the sound of everything.

"Drake, what the hell is the matter with you? I thought I told you to put the gun down!"

"Look, Little Wolf… I've always run things around here and I'm not about to hand over my torch to some kid who is so emotionally unstable. Yeah, you heard me. Now, get up and help me get rid of the last witness."

Syaoran's mouth went dry. Drake knew that there was someone else in the backseat, which was a fact not in Syaoran's favor.

Syaoran reached into the car and gave the boy a shove in the back. "Get going, while I hold him off."

Drake pointed his gun at the retreating boy. Just as he pulled the trigger, Syaoran jumped over the hood of the car. He pulled his long forgotten sword out of thin air as he jumped in between the boy and Drake. The zooming bullet was coming at him. The only way Syaoran stopped it was slicing his sword through the air. A silver whirl wind surrounded him and the bullet was caught up in it. Syaoran smashed the still spinning bullet against the windshield. His sword disappeared in an instant.

Syaoran cast his troubled eyes over Drake, who was now just standing there with his eyes wide open. He rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"Yo, Drake, Syaoran, we better get going!" Julian cried over Syaoran's pounding heart. Syaoran was still worrying over what Drake just saw. Ely also stepped out of some bushes. His mouth was hanging open.

Julian was running towards Drake and Syaoran. "The sirens mean we're leaving! Yo!"

"That-that bullet was deflected," Ely muttered aloud.

"Look man! Get a hold of yourself!" Julian shook Ely by the shoulders.

"Didn't I tell you two to go?!" Syaoran was shouting as he saw the red and blue blinking lights at a distance.

"Was this what you planned all along, Syaoran? To get us caught like this?" Drake barked, raising the gun at his young apprentice.

"No, Drake!" Ely hollered.

"Shut up! This kid is trouble and I'm going to get rid of him." Drake's finger trembled over the trigger. Syaoran did not even flinch as he stared at his boss of one year straight in the eye.

"Why don't you two just go?" Syaoran groaned. "Now because there isn't a chance for the two of you to start all over again if you get caught."

Julian, the one always taking things in a light manner, chuckled. "If we go down, I rather we go down together, Syaoran."

"Julian this isn't a joke!"

"Yeah it isn't. I know what my decision is, so don't try talking me out of it. It's just a waste of hot air, _kid_."

"Ely are you going to throw away your second chance?" Syaoran's nonchalant eyes never left Drake's as he asked this question.

Ely grunted. "You have to spend some time in prison to be a real man, right?"

"You idiots," Syaoran whispered. His shoulders were relaxing and he finally closed his eyes. "We're all idiots."

The gun clicked. It clicked again.

"You fool; you should have known you were out." Syaoran's smirk had Drake flinging his gun to the ground and sprinting into the woods.

"FREEZE!" The police had them all surrounded.

In the most dignified way Syaoran raised his arms over his head.


	9. Forget and then Forgive

The Crash Course on Life: Unheard Voices

**Chapter 9: Forget and then Forgive**

Four hours, restrained in handcuffs, back facing the bars of his jail cell. He practically lay dead on his side in his bunk; motionless because of the aftershock of shame. He'd stuck his foot in way too deep in the muck that Drake started. Selfish needs having driven him to the lawless lifestyle that he chose over everything else.

"Li, Visitors!" The voice settled within the cell.

He had not even heard the guard speak, still buried in remorse for himself.

"Syaoran?"

Syaoran turned and looked out into the lighted station. His eyes were smiling as he looked at his wife with her arms through the bars. She wanted so badly to hold him. She was straining herself to reach him, whimpering his name.

"Will you let him go, so I can have him?" Sakura asked the guard gently.

The guard was shocked. He couldn't believe that this was Syaoran's wife. They were complete opposites.

As the bars slipped out of her way, Sakura bounded forward. She melted in his arms, while he returned her bear hug by nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Syaoran, I'm so proud of you," she whispered, snuggling into his lap. He raised his bound arms and looped them around her slim waist. "You should be in bed, sleeping. Don't you have classes tomorrow?"

"It doesn't matter."

Someone started tapping on the bars impatiently.

"Can you people give us a little time, please?" Syaoran growled, trembling in anger.

A quiet and exhausted someone spoke over Syaoran's thrumming heart. "A bit weak of heart and mind, I see."

Syaoran raised his head and his eyes met cobalt ones. "It's been too long, Lang Lang," he said, smiling brightly at Syaoran.

Sakura watched as Syaoran's face broke into a pained smile. "Wish it were longer."

The man with the cobalt eyes backed up a step and waved a guard to him. "I'm taking Li for interrogation. Uncuff him."

"Uncuff him? But Sir…"

"He said uncuff him," Sakura repeated edgily, still clinging onto Syaoran's neck. She turned to Syaoran excitedly. "Detective Wu called me and brought me here to see you. He has plans for you, Syaoran. He says he will help us."

"Do you even know him, Sakura?" Syaoran asked gruffly, as he shook off his wrists after they were freed. He flexed his fingers and admired the joints in them. His hands started memorizing the auburn strands of her hair, each golden piece straying to the ends of his soft fingertips. His eyes remained glued to her sparkling green eyes.

"No, is he someone special?" She asked innocently.

"Um, you two better come with me," the one named Detective Wu cleared his throat and said. The man was starting to look away in embarrassment. He could just sense Syaoran and Sakura sharing a long kiss in the shadows of the jail.

For a long five minutes, Syaoran was looking at the wall that mirrored him. Wu rolled his eyes, sensing Syaoran's suspicious gaze wandering away from him every second. Sakura, who was sitting in between them, taking one side of the table, glanced back and forth at them. She was waiting for some kind of conversation to start. From the beginning she had expected an exchange between the two. They seemed so well acquainted anyway. She just wanted to see what they had to say to each other and in the meantime pick up where their relationship stood.

"Sakura, can you do me a favor and show Syaoran that no one is watching us right now?"

Sakura stared at Syaoran's long face before looking back at the mirror. Did he think someone was observing him through the glass? Okay, so she obediently jumped out of her seat and stuck her head out of the door.

"Hello nobody!" She waved outside at nobody, craning her head out the door. "How are you nobody? I'm fine. How about yourself?"

Detective Wu laughed heartily, causing Sakura's head to pop back in. She shut the door with a devilish glint in her eyes. She was looking back at Syaoran evilly. "Are you happy to know now that nobody's watching you?"

Syaoran sniffed. "More annoyed that I'm married to an idiot."

"I never asked to marry you, so if you have a problem at all I'll be happy to break it off."

"You wouldn't dare."

Sakura's hands came up to her hips as she scoffed. "It'll all be worth it to knock some sense back into your cocky head. Besides, you've put me through hell and back these past few days. I have every reason to have a vendetta against you."

Syaoran's golden brown eyes widened. He gave her his best retaliation. "You have some nerve strip teasing for Drake like that in front of me, your husband! To me that's not being a very devoted wife."

Sakura turned red as she tried to turn to Detective Wu to defend her self. "There was a very good explanation for that. You see, I met Syaoran after I became an exotic dancer, which is nothing to be proud of…"

"Technically, we were reunited. We've known each other much longer, back when we were ten—"

"I was doing it for money because you see I'm not very professional at anything else and I'm still in school…"

"We never broke up, so she still went off and did naughty things. She makes up pretty lame excuses for her wayward lifestyle."

"Syaoran! It's not like you've been an honest man either," Sakura pouted.

"She's right, Lang Lang. I believe you have no right to stomp on someone else's pride when you yourself are as guilty as every other man I have arrested on the streets."

With that said, Detective Wu turned to Sakura, who was still pouting in her seat. "So you are the girl that made my nephew so lovesick all these years. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. It's a father's dream to see his boy grow up and marry someone as wonderful and lovely as you." He took both her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Nephew?" Sakura seemed shocked at this piece of news.

"Yes, I'm Syaoran's uncle. I'm his mother's brother and I trained this weak minded disciple in the earlier years when my head was still all black, not graying as it's doing now."

Sakura laughed. "Then, you're family!"

"I'm an uncle before a teacher or an FBI agent," he assured her.

"Not really, considering that you just disappeared off the face of the Earth for years." Syaoran snorted in contempt.

"Are you ever going to grow up? I've been tracking you down all year long and I come across you being in the most notorious gang ever and this is what I get from you? I am not letting you off easy, Boy. Second chances are rarely given to misfits like you, so show a bit of appreciation."

"I don't need your sympathy or help. I've always done fine on my own and I'm ready to face the consequences of my actions like a man."

"Now, you're sounding more like your father," Detective Wu said, soundly proud.

Syaoran gave his uncle that unforgettable smirk, he recognized as his own sister's trademark. The boy had become so much like his parents. It really was a shame that he wasted so much time crushing precious years that were supposed to be used honing his fighting skills and mental capacity. How Syaoran ever ended up with drug addicts and street fighters was beyond his comprehension and he had left Hong Kong to improve his detective skills, which was proved futile. Wu had the motive to return after he was done and after he had finally locked Drake up. Now, here he was interrogating his nephew, an apprentice of his arch enemy.

Drake was his top case since his first five years into the agency. It was handed down to him and he swore that it was going to be his first and final case before he retired and returned home to his family. A couple of years later, here he was. Still here and now he had finally found Syaoran at the request of Yelan. Of course, even if Yelan had not asked for his help and he knew his own nephew was wandering somewhere in the states, he was going to turn the country upside down looking for him.

"You have people who care about you, Syaoran. Why do you have to be so man about not receiving help? Look at what I've done for you? I've quit my night job and accepted you as my husband and backbone."

"This is neither the time nor place to voice your opinions about things," Syaoran grunted in irritation.

"Syaoran, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered to let you off the hook if you give me the whereabouts of the rest of Drake's organization."

Syaroan spat. "The abandoned Warehouse on Park Street. They convene in the basement most of the time. I'm not saying this to get away from the law. The federal government should think about how they can just let criminals get away this easily. Isn't it an issue of safety for the general public? I don't need you talking them out of arresting me. I'll serve my prison time like every other wrong doer."

"Drake is the greatest manipulator of minds. We've dug out that much from all the men we've hauled in thus far. There's a good explanation to why you would have fell for his mind games. He made men like you hungry for wins and power if not drugs and riches."

"I was weak of mind, Uncle Wu. Any other Li would never fall for some crazy man like him. Let me handle my own afflictions. I'm ready to…"

Sakura slammed her fist against the wooden panel of the table. "Why do you men have to be so stupid?!"

The two men in the room stared at her with anew admiration. Syaoran had not seen Sakura this angry since he cut himself on the day he went to save her. This side of her was sometimes arousing hence he glared at the way his uncle observed Sakura through his fascinated, dark eyes.

"Little girls should stay home and shut up."

Sakura laid a look on him that burned with ardent rage. "Maybe if I go to Ely or Julian, they'll give me some wanted attention! How about that?!"

"You go near those playboys and I'll lock you up in a tower until you're old and unwanted."

"Those two took my help. Pretty smart boys if you asked me," Wu said with a shake of his head.

"I've accepted you Syaoran. You extended your hand out to me and I took it. Now, it's your turn."

He was silent as he gazed into her hopeful green eyes.

"And if you're going to be stupid, then I can argue that I knew about your crimes and said nothing about it to authorities. If I announced that outside this room, I'm going to be locked up in similar facilities like you. What do they call that; obstruction of justice? Do you want that?"

"Shut up, Sakura."

"No! Withholding helpful tips in an investigation is a felony, am I right, Uncle?" Sakura asked Wu earnestly.

"Yes, but…"

"Who the hell's ever heard of someone going to jail because they're just so stubborn?" Syaoran hollered, flipping his chair over.

"Look who's talking?" She said snootily.

He stalked over to her and backed her into the wall. "This is why I married you, huh?"

She sniffed haughtily, arching her back to look up at him.

He inched his mouth closer to her ear. "You win, but when we get home after all this you're going to get disciplined, little darling."

Sakura giggled nervously, words failing her completely. A sign of relief washed over her as her rigid body relaxed. Wu looked them over as he too got out of his chair. "You really are something else, Sakura," Wu said, listlessness evident in his hoarse voice. "Syaoran never really listened to me or his mother. You're really the first to break through that hard shell."

She smiled brilliantly with that delight glowing in her eyes.


	10. The Terrifying Ordeal

The Crash Course on Life

**Chapter 10: The Terrifying Ordeal**

It was a hushed report when Syaoran Li was released. The news casters loved to hype up their reports on how "The Notorious Drake had been booked after years of scrounging money off of illegal drugs" and "The Mastermind of illegal imports has finally been caged after police surrounded the warehouse building on Park Street…" Any underlings were forgotten.

Back at his apartment, Syaoran was flipping through a magazine as he sat in front of the T.V. Meanwhile, his Uncle Wu was standing in the kitchen, inspecting the wares. Kitchen ware.

"Are you staying here all week?" Syaoran asked without looking up.

"I've decided to go back to D.C. with my written report after I settle family matters up here first."

"Family… Matters?"

"Yes, regarding you and Sakura."

Syaoran tossed his magazine aside. "Did you call my mother?"

"Yes, and I had her call Sakura's father."

"In that case you're not welcomed here. Get out," the young man stated bluntly.

"You're going to have to kick me out, Son. I don't think you're trained well enough to do that, though."

Syaoran took the offensive and ran straight forward arms out and flying kicks landing air.

"Awful! This is sloppy!" Wu shouted, parrying Syaoran's attacks with the back of his hand. "I can beat you with both hands tied to my back, but I don't want to make you look too bad. I mean, we are related and if anyone saw the way you fight, I would be the one barraged."

Syaoran aimed low, but got tangled up in Wu's strong, muscled legs. The older man had both his arms twisted behind his back. Syaoran's legs were crumpled under him as his uncle pushed him face flat into the carpet. One irritating heel grinded in the middle of Syaoran's back.

"You know this brings back old memories. When you were little you thought you could get away with everything. Well, Lang Lang, you certainly aren't little anymore," Wu spoke fondly.

"Get off me!" Syaoran growled.

"If you hadn't attacked me in the first place, you wouldn't be in this position, Son."

"You…" Syaoran shook with untamed rage. "Nobody asked you to butt into my business!"

"Yeah, and nobody told you that it's my job to butt in whenever, so let me drill this through your head."

The telephone started buzzing, which got Syaoran snapping at his uncle in a beastly manner. "Get off me, Old Man! I'm going to answer the phone!"

"No need," his uncle laughed. The man shifted in his position, not once loosening his hold around his nephew. Swiftly, he snapped the table that the phone was resting on with the tip of his toe and caught the phone in midair.

"Show off…"

Wu ignored Syaoran's disdainful tone and continued to answer the phone. After a few seconds of pleasantries with the caller, he handed the phone to Syaoran. "It's for you."

Wu finally had to let go and Syaoran got on his knees. "Hello?"

"Syaoran!" It was Sakura's frantic voice over the phone.

"What's the matter?"

"Tomoyo's missing. I have a note from her kidnappers. Oh, Syaoran! Please help me! Please, help me find her and get her home."

A chill traveled down Syaoran's spine. "Sakura, don't leave the apartment. Lock all your windows and doors. I'm coming for you."

Syaoran dropped the phone and bounded out. His uncle ran after him immediately sensing his nephew's frantic antics.

"It's Drake isn't it?"

"Yes, I think he's struck again. Can you get a couple of men to my wife? I think it's necessary, now."

"Slow down, Lang Lang. Didn't you just tell your wife that you would be there shortly."

Syaoran started his uncle's cruiser and shouted over the muttering car's engine. "Yes, I said that, but it'll only take a second to beat the truth out of Drake. If his 'truths' don't satisfy my tastes, I'll beat the shit out of him."

"Ah… And what makes you think I'm going to just send men over to Sakura's house and allow you to rampage through the correction center?"

Syaoran slammed the breaks fast, almost sending his elder passenger out the windshield if he had not braced himself against the dashboard.

"I'm a very busy man and I've got things to do. Can't you just let me do it?"

The silence from Wu meant yes, but it was not a very convincing yes. If anyone could stop Syaoran physically, it was Wu, but he would have to use brute force. There was an alternative because now Wu had the ultimate weapon to Syaoran's raging and sometimes disastrous emotions. Only one person could stop him from making one mistake after another without bringing harm to the tormented young man. That someone was…

"Sakura! He's like a maniac right now and I really don't feel like hurting him, so if you don't mind…" Detective Wu threw opened the door that contained Syaoran and Drake inside. Two guards stood outside, a little pleased that they did not have to do much to protect the criminal from the hostile visitor that Wu had allowed into the building.

"Why would you leave Syaoran alone with that monster?"

"Maybe a part of me wanted him to beat the living hell out of a man that has hurt so many people," Wu said, hoping he sounded more righteous than selfish.

"That's wrong, Uncle Wu! You could lose your job over something like this."

"Please, don't give me that look, Sakura. Don't say, you don't think that Drake does not deserve what's coming."

Syaoran and Drake looked up from there seats at the two newcomers. Wu and Sakura looked back at them in shock.

"I thought you said…" Sakura started.

"I just assumed, since he went charging into the room in such a state."

"What state? And why is she here? She should be as far away from this man as she possibly could be!" Syaoran screamed, suddenly getting up on his feet.

"There's no harm done in letting the girl see me," Drake murmured, glancing over at Sakura. "I'm sure she's dying to know how I'm doing."

"Cut the crap!' Syaoran snapped, looking at his former leader.

"Come here, Sweetheart. Come give me a hug and we can have a heart to heart chat."

"I said stop talking to her!" Syaoran demanded. He had a fistful of the orange jump suit in his hand.

"I like seeing you riled like this. I like you looking riled over a little wench!"

Syaoran's fist slammed into his gut and that sent Sakura immediately to her husband's side. She tried to hold him back as Wu gripped Drake by the shackles and pulled him back into his seat. Rasping for breath, Drake chuckled hard.

"So someone was after your wife and made the honest mistake of kidnapping her friend instead."

Sakura looked Syaoran in the eye. "You suspect he has something to do with the kidnapping?"

"Who else?" Syaoran muttered, sending a growl towards Drake.

"Me?" Drake was laughing hard now. Wu nudged him with the barrel of his gun to calm him and get his attention.

"You wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of the young Tomoyo Daidouji now would you?" Wu asked, still gently prodding through the villain's hair with a gun.

"I'm incarcerated right now. How would I get word out to anybody to do my bidding? Besides, I'm done with whores."

Sakura threw her body at Syaoran to restrain him again after Drake's riling comment.

"And I'm through with two-timing rookies like you, Little Wolf."

Sakura got up and made her way towards the prisoner. She backhanded him across the face and stepped back. "Syaoran's through working with losers like you. And don't call me any more offensive names."

Sakura turned to Uncle Wu, "I would like you to personally escort Mr. Drake back to his cell and make sure he does not get out until his trial."

"Yes, ma'am."

Syaoran remained hunched in a corner of the room. He had somehow dragged himself against the wall and allowed himself to be swallowed in the shadows. Sakura hurried over to him.

"Syaoran, are you alright? What's the matter?" She tried to pry his fingers from his face, but that only got him to fiercely pull her into a tight embrace.

She gasped in surprise.

"Don't look at me, Sakura. I look miserable."

Sakura stroked his back and whispered a "There, there," softly into his ear. She cupped a hand to the back of his head.

"I'd give you anything, everything. You know that, right?"

Sakura tried to pull back to look him square in the face and tell him 'yes, I know,' but he pulled her roughly into him again.

"Syaoran," she whispered.

"Please, Sakura. Just give me a minute."

She felt his warm, moist breath against her throat. It shocked her to feel wet hot tears against her skin.

She moaned his name and held him tighter.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I had to drag you in all this."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm ready to go home."

"Yeah."

"Do you think…?"

"Your mother will be thrilled."

"I was going to ask if you're going to welcome me."

"Huh?"

"You're my home, Sakura." His fingers twined around hers.

"Yes, my loving Syaoran has returned."

"Thank you, Sakura."

"You're welcomed."

_Devastating news! I'm on the last chapter of this book and it won't be out until the weekend! It's over! _

_Just kidding. It'll never be over. The second book of this trilogy is coming out in August, so look forward to that. Also, my other piece that I have just started might be joining book two if I get around finishing __Simply Plain and Simple__. Yeah, what a shocker! I can't believe I haven't finished typing that up yet. To think that 64 words per minute were fast, think again! I need some encouragement. ReView! _


	11. A Family Reunion

The Crash Course On Life: Unheard Voices**  
**

**Chapter 11: A Family Reunion**

What would you do if you were a detective and you thought that someone was after your family? Your nephew had spent a full year with a gang that stole and killed. Your new niece admitted to being a stripper to pay off her school bills. You wind up feeling insecure, yet responsible all the same for the welfare of these children. In your mind's eyes they are still children because none of them knew better. None of them knew what they were getting into and how this would affect their lives in the future from now and forever.

Yet, this was what Sakura and Syaoran needed. A chance to find themselves in a country that offered you the time and freedom. They had packed there suit cases and hightailed out of their hometowns to find that life could never be easy. Wherever you were, you always returned back to square one. Wherever you were, there was someone who really wanted to know what you were doing. They weren't there to annoy you or bug you, but they were there to support you whether you wanted it or not. Sakura and Syaoran now needed much time to heal their wounded hearts and reputations. And you have the job of protecting them because both of them almost died.

You worry and worry and worry, but you come back to that conclusion that you could never understand them. Why they would sacrifice so much for something that was not even worth the sacrifice. You won't ever be able to understand and fully empathize until you fit on their pairs of shoes and really live their lives from the very beginning. Those shoes are too small for you now.

All you can do is concern and muddle. That's why you left them in the same hotel room, throwing all moral judgment out the window. Their parents would not be happy if they found out. You could argue that it was safer if Syaoran was there to protect his wife.

Just about fourteen hours ago, Sakura had received a phone call concerning her missing friend. After so many hours of sleeplessness, it ended with one phone call that relieved Sakura and Syaoran. The caller was an acquaintance, who laughed and assured everyone that Tomoyo was in good hands. Her "kidnappers" were sorry they caused such uproar. Uproar… Syaoran was the only one rearing his head and roaring.

Sakura tumbled into her bed with relief, whereas Syaoran took a sleeping position in his makeshift bed on the couch. Both a little miffed, but still relieved that all the worrying could be set aside. However, this just made room for an awkward silence between the two. They just somehow ran out of things to say to each other when all the skeletons came out of the closet. Now, they were further distanced by silence since Tomoyo was found.

Sakura could not sleep. She climbed out of bed and stumbled towards Syaoran. She squeezed next to him, trying to take the other half of the couch without waking her husband. To her surprise, which caused her to squawk, Syaoran flipped onto his side and pulled her under him.

"You're still awake?" She asked.

"Yeah, you shouldn't sneak up on me like that. It's for your own good," He warned. She felt his hand gently stroking her chin.

"I couldn't sleep…"

"You shouldn't complain. I'm the one sleeping on a lumpy bed," Syaoran muttered as he beat a fist beside her head against the couch.

She giggled. "I see what you mean. If you want you can come join me in my bed."

She got up and pulled him along. "See? Much better?" She asked, sensing that he had settled in and under her covers.

"Yes, but do you think I have the decency to keep my hands to myself when I have my beautiful wife next to me in bed?" He asked voice husky with dark passion.

Sakura gulped and scratched her head. The idea sent a shockwave through her spine and triggering the alarms that went off in her head. She almost slipped from her post at the edge of her bed from the shock.

"We're married, so I guess it doesn't matter," Syaoran said, pulling her down.

He released his hands from around her shoulders and seized her shuddering hips. Syaoran climbed over her, laughing at her scared expression.

"Oh, Sakura. I would never do anything against your will because I love you."

"Eh?"

"You sound disappointed."

"N-no," she stammered, feeling her entire body blush. "An-and I'm not scared. It's just that…"

"Stop talking," he snippily ordered. Dipping his head down, he nibbled at her lips.

That got the heat of desire burning through her flesh. She responded to his kisses, timorously. She allowed him such easy access to her soul with every brush of his tongue, she was unsure of what she was getting herself into. Her shy responses only made Syaoran all the more enamored.

Syaoran straddled her between his knees and pulled her head up to give himself better access to her. He thoroughly tasted her as if he was branding her with a mark that meant she was his for life. The flames of his desire flicked through her. It all ended a little too quickly, though when Syaoran suddenly froze in mid passion and pulled away from her.

"What are you wearing?" He asked too quickly.

In a daze, she licked her abandoned lips. "What?"

"Don't you wear underwear?"

"Sometimes."

"Not tonight apparently."

"How would you know?"

"You seem to be a little lost from my kisses, you haven't realized it. Can't you tell where my hands have strayed to?"

Sakura blushed furiously. In realization, she squealed and pushed him off. "What are you playing at, huh?" She demanded, suddenly her green eyes just filled with anger.

He grabbed her wrist. "Hey, you kissed me back. And… You want me to touch you," he added in his defense. His grip lessened and he pulled her against him again. "But we're both not ready, yet, so I'm satisfied with you just being here. I always will be."

Sakura squeezed her head out from between his arms and chest. "Making love can wait, Syaoran. We have a lifetime together. We never have to find each other again."

"You're right. By the way, sleepy yet?"

"No, why?"

She received a smirk. "This is why." He was bending down and pulling her mouth under his again. One million kisses the whole night.

"Ding Dong, you two lovebirds!"

Sakura and Syaoran shot up from bed. It was morning and the sun peaked through the drawn shades.

"How, the hell did you get in here?" Syaoran demanded.

"Something called a keycard? I wouldn't be a good guardian, now if I didn't have a spare," Wu said, smiling at the two of them. "Wow you two look tired. Rough night?"

Two pillows aimed for his head were quickly caught in his hands. Wu laughed heartily. "There's breakfast in the diner. The place is cleared out for just us."

"I hope you didn't wave your gun around and scare away all the other customers," Syaoran said, in a dry tone.

"Is that a joke, Xiaolang? You don't joke!"

Sakura laughed. "He does, now."

"Well, haha. That's just swell! I'll be waiting downstairs. Put on something formal, okay kids?" He closed the door.

They were like newly weds, coming out of the elevator with an arm around their partner. Uncle Wu stood at the entrance of the diner. Next to them was Wei, Syaoran's old butler from Hong Kong and he was holding the door for them.

"Wei?" Syaoran croaked in surprise.

He felt Sakura let go of him as she drifted into the room in a trance.

Syaoran followed her and stopped short to meet his mother near the entry.

Yelan seemed a little hesitant at first to speak, but then the words flowed and she seemed more like the regal matriarch of their clan. "How are you, Son?"

"I'm fine, Ma."

She reached up and pulled him down to kiss him. She looked apologetic or maybe that was the listlessness from jet-lag, but Syaoran was sorry, too. Everyone wronged once in a while and he wasn't going to let his mom take the full blow from Guilt. "Um, I was coming home to see you soon. And I was going to bring her with me."

"Yes, you must have a real wedding once we get home."

It was strange that they spoke as if there was no gap in time that split them apart. It was their way of mending all their mistakes and apologizing in their considerate way. They were just mother and son saying hi to each other after he came home from a lengthy business trip.

Sakura had frozen under her husband's arm as she looked past Wei and Wu, her eyes meeting that of her father's. Her father stood with his arms stretched toward his daughter and she drifted towards him a worn smile brightening her features. Warmth spread through her as she felt her father envelop her in a missed, old fatherly hug.

Sakura released her father and looked over his shoulder at a young man who stared back at her with a sourly look. His messy dark hair swished across his pale forehead. He was frowning at her as he sat in his chair. Hesitantly she approached him, afraid she was going to bolt from her.

His mood darkened as he stared across at her. She did not move from her place next to her father still too scared to approach her older brother.

"It's Kaiju," he grumbled.

"What?" Sakura said in surprise. "He called me…"

"It's a surprise what a year or so can do to someone. He started missing you when you left, so he was looking for all your baby videos and trying very hard to remember," Fujitaka told her.

"He—he remembers?"

"Kaiju!" He shouted, still glaring at her.

"Onii-chan…"

"Kaiju!" The reminiscent of a smile taking over the scowl on Touya's long sallow face.

Hands on her hips she approached him. "I am not a Kaiju."

Touya reached up and pulled her down in his lap and squished her in a bear hug. He still spoke like a child, who only knew how to phrase things in, well, one word or two words. "Sakura Kaiju."

Sakura cried, tears soaking her brother's t-shirt. Touya was rubbing her face with his thumbs, confused at the tears dripping from her lower lashes. Syaoran approached them and laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Touya looked ready to bite off the hand that touched his sister.

"Down," Syaoran laughed.

Touya growled, while Sakura snuggled closer to him. It had been such a long time since she last was able to touch her brother without him flinching. "Syaoran, it's like being home again," she whispered to her husband.

"Oh yeah, and I'm chopped liver."

Sakura released Touya, but one arm still clung around her brother's neck. She pulled Syaoran down, so that he was kneeling in front of Sakura. She hooked her other free arm around his neck and laughed. She said it again as she pulled the two men down with her in a deathly grip. "It feels just perfect," she said, tears of relief streaming down her face.

_END Book 1_

* * *

_Almost forgot to keep my promise and update this weekend. hahahaha... Okey, nobody needed to know, but I said it anyway to fill the silence_

_Aw well, moving on. One month left before I dust my hands off of certain work I have to deal with this summer and focus 99.5 percent of my energy on college again. Unlike some smarter folks, I'm one of those hardcore studiers for half the year and then the other half I'm just a hardcore nobody volunteering and working my off-days away. I have to work enough in the summer, that means no extra summer classes, so that I can use the money to pay for my meals during the school year. With money, rarely do I indulge in little things that are not essentials. Cuz this is the money that has to last mean at least six months. I work less when I'm in school because my boss totally understands how I feel and thinks that my eduaction is more important than me covering more hours for him in the office. He gave me a early pat on the head and sent me off to who knows where just last week. Wierd, since I'll still be around for another month...  
From what I've heard, if you are not a smart biochemist, you can give your arse a good kick in and forget about a future. :P_

_Enough about me! Everybody should be looking forward to Tomo's story in about a half a month's time. A different person and a different perspective. HARHARHAR... Maybe late because I'm only up to page 155 in the DEATHLY HALLOWS and I really need to catch up on my potter reading, you know? 'Cuz when I started the first book I was younger than even Harry himself, but I usually went through a book in one night. Now, it's been out 9 days and I've only gone through 155 pages? OKAY! Two hours to cover some ground on my reading and have lunch before I head out. _

_REVIEW BOOK 1 and keep reading people! Thanks for your time. _

_JA_

_Yours, MistyWing _


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